A House A Home
by Jade Leaf Forest
Summary: Yamato, Takeru and Natsuko find their lives turned upside-down when Hiroaki is admitted to hospital. As if that wasn't difficult enough, a mysterious new enemy is threatening Odaiba and the Chosen Children must respond before it becomes too powerful.
1. Chapter 1

**I have written this as a part of the Digimon Big Bang on Tumblr. I was being ambitious when I started this story, knowing it would take far more than 5000 words to finish, but I was probably a bit too optimistic. The first few chapters will be posted during the Bang and then I will likely finish the rest in my own time (don't worry, I have plotted the whole thing out, so there's little chance of it being abandoned).  
**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 1_**

Koushiro was working late. The light from the computer was the only thing illuminating the room, while his typing broke the otherwise silent space. Most students found the middle school a bit creepy at night, but Koushiro was used to being the last one out of the building.

He was so absorbed in his work that he didn't hear the approaching footsteps from down the corridor. Slowly, a shadowy figure blocked the moonlight from streaming through the door's glass window. The door slid open almost silently as Koushiro continued to concentrate on the screen. Too late, he noticed the intruder.

In his haste to get away, Koushiro fell off the side of his chair with a shout. Standing over him with one of her hands resting on her hip, Miyako looked down with an eyebrow raised.

"Everything all right?"

Koushiro took a few deep breaths to calm his rapid heartbeat as he pulled himself up onto his feet. He brushed himself off and cleared his throat.

"When did you get here?"

Miyako sighed and walked back to the classroom entrance to turn on the light switch. Koushiro blinked as his eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness.

"Just now. I asked if you wanted the light turned on, but you didn't seem to hear me."

"Oh, sorry about that."

"It's OK," she said as she sat down in the seat next to him.

Miyako looked a little morose as she stared at the computer screen. Koushiro wasn't quite sure what to do.

"Where's Poromon?"

"I left him at home. There's nothing for him to do at school on his own."

"I suppose it must be lonely not being with the other digimon."

Miyako made a noise of agreement, but didn't say anything further.

"How are you finding middle school?"

She smiled at him brightly in a way that seemed a little too well practiced.

"I love it! I've made a few new friends and kept in contact with my old ones from elementary school – at least, the ones I _want_ to keep in contact with. I don't like the uniform colour, but I'm slowly getting used to it…

"I miss being able to hang out with the others easily, though. Iori and I walked together to school every day. It's weird knowing I won't ever be in the same school as him."

"It can be tough, being in a school different from all your friends."

Miyako nodded, knowing that he understood. It had been strange going to a different school from Taichi, Sora and Yamato. He wasn't looking forward to the end of this year when he would have to go through the same experience again.

"I guess I can sympathise with Ken more. Although, he still has to travel further than I do."

"When did you last visit the Digital World?"

"On Saturday afternoon. Mr Ishida was kind enough to take us in his van even though he was busy with work. We managed to find a digital gate not too far outside the city limits."

"Mr Ishida has always helped us from the start. I don't know if we could have managed without the support of our families."

They both fell silent for a time. Miyako took off her glasses and cleaned them on her blouse.

"Do you think the Digital World will become peaceful again?"

She peered carefully through each lens before putting them back onto her face just in time to catch Koushiro's hesitation.

"We've managed it before. The Digital World will recover eventually."

"Un," she agreed, although it wasn't with her usual enthusiasm.

She switched on the computer in front of her and brought out her D-Terminal to read through her messages. Koushiro turned back to his work. They both worked in silence for a while, the only sound filling the room was the tapping of keys and the computer fans blowing out hot air.

Suddenly, an alert sounded from Koushiro's computer. Miyako glanced over as Koushiro brought up the program the sound was coming from.

"What is it?"

"It's a prototype of a digimon detection program. It has only reacted like this a small number of times since BlackWarGreymon sealed the gate."

"How does it work?"

"You know how digimon affect electronics in this world?" Miyako nodded to his question. "And the stronger the digimon, the greater the effect on our technology.

"This map locates any blackouts or power surges. It only tends to catch the large ones, because otherwise every time a household blew a fuse it would be detected as a potential digimon. So far, I've managed to detect known Perfect and Ultimate level digimon using this program, however lower level digimon are still lost in the background noise."

"You think that's a digimon?"

Koushiro sighed. "Ever since BlackWarGreymon sealed the gate, the only things I've detected are power fluctuations in the national grid. It's still a prototype for a reason."

Miyako looked from Koushiro back to the red circle flashing on the page, wondering what could have caused such a large surge.

* * *

Yamato played the last note of their song, just in time with the drumbeat. There had been one of two shaky notes, but overall it had been one of their best performances. He glanced over towards the rest of the band. They all looked similarly satisfied with their finish, with Akira sending him a subtle thumbs-up. Taking a moment to steady his breathing, Yamato slowly released his bass and grabbed hold of the microphone.

"Thank you for your support tonight. You've been a great audience!"

The deafening sound of cheers filled the room, but somehow one scream was still louder than the rest. Yamato couldn't quite keep the grin from his face when he recognised Jun's voice.

"But I'm sure you're all eager for the main event: The Night Claws!"

Any lull in volume disappeared instantly when he named the headline band. Sayo had been kind enough to invite The Teenage Wolves to start for their first performance.

"There'll be a few minutes to stretch your legs while they set up, but make sure you're back in time. Once again, thank you and enjoy the rest of the night!"

Yamato and the others waved to the crowd as they stepped off stage. Soon frantic stagehands and technicians were running around trying to get everything ready and sounding good before The Night Claws were expected onstage. Yamato tried to wipe the sweat from his face, but didn't succeed very well.

"Not bad. You didn't make us look completely incompetent," Sayo said, holding out a small towel for him to take.

"Thanks."

"Wow Sayo, that almost sounded like a compliment," Yutaka teased while grabbing himself a bottle of water.

"Did it? My apologies."

Sayo's words were sharp, but her eyes gave away her amusement. Yamato folded up the towel and put it to the side.

"Yamato!"

All four band members looked over to see Jun rushing in with Sora following close behind, looking more than a little frazzled.

"You guys were amazing! I got a few great shots of you with the crowds."

Akira, Takashi and Yutaka crowded around Jun's camera while Sora exchanged a look of bemusement with Yamato. She quietly slipped her hand into his and leaned her head against his shoulder.

"Tired?" he asked softly.

Sora nodded. "Yes, but I had a fun time. You guys were good."

"We'll be going home soon."

"Hey Yamato, you gonna watch?"

"Just the first song," he glanced over at Sayo apologetically. "We've got school in the morning."

Sayo shrugged her shoulders, clearly not bothered by his decision. However, her drummer wasn't so easily appeased.

"If you want to get anywhere you've got to dedicate everything you have, otherwise you're bound to fail."

Sukekiyo had dropped out of school recently in order to concentrate on the band along with everyone except Sayo. She was finding juggling high school and her blossoming career difficult. Yamato knew it was a matter of time before she gave up school as well.

Nevertheless, he wasn't interested in starting a fight, so just nodded as if he was taking Sukekiyo's advice and wished the band good luck.

Sora tightened her grip on his hand as they made their way through the crowds. A deafening cheer signalled the arrival of The Night Claws. Yamato found himself relaxing to the music even as people jostled into him and Sora. Sora didn't seem bothered by it, instead she leaned closer to Yamato, wrapping her arm around his.

They slipped out quietly after the first song, hand in hand, their ears ringing in the silent night air. Sora shivered with cold and leaned in close. Yamato wrapped his arm around her waist as they made their way towards the nearest station.

The trip home wasn't too long, but it was past midnight by the time they reached Sora's apartment. Sora glanced around nervously and, seeing no one was watching, leaned in quickly to kiss Yamato on the lips. She pulled back and turned to open her door, but not before Yamato noticed the blush on her cheeks.

"Thanks for tonight. I had a lot of fun," she said, turning to face him again. "See you tomorrow?"

"If I don't oversleep. I've still got some homework to finish."

Sora looked at him disapprovingly.

"It's just an essay!" he said, putting up his hands defensively. "I already have it planned out as well."

Sora rolled her eyes, but the small quirk of her lips indicated she wasn't _too_ angry with him. Yamato waited until she had closed the door before he shoved his hands in his pockets and began trudging back to his own apartment.

His father had said he would be home early with dinner, but as Yamato unlocked the door to their apartment, it was obvious that no one was in. Setting down his guitar, Yamato switched on the lights and opened the fridge, grabbing a few items he could turn into a light dinner. Since he was cooking, Yamato decided to make enough for two.

With his chopsticks in one hand, Yamato took out his phone and texted his father. It was hardly unusual for Hiroaki to bury himself in work and lose track of time. Sure enough, Yamato soon received a reply that something had come up and Hiroaki was planning to work late. He put the leftovers in the fridge and left a note on the fridge that his father would see. Even after he showered and finished his essay, Yamato was still the only person in the house when he slipped into bed.

* * *

Hiroaki let out a weary sigh as he finally stepped out of the office. It was well past two in the morning and he had promised Yamato he would try to get back early tonight. So much for that.

The moon lit up the sky, even outshining some of the city lights. There wasn't much traffic on the roads and most people had already turned in for the night. Hiroaki took in a deep breath, taking out a packet of cigarettes as the chilly night breeze blew through the street. He flicked his lighter open and put a cigarette in his mouth.

The breeze picked up in intensity, dampening the flame he was using to try and light a smoke. Cursing, he turned his back to the wind, cupping the flame. Hiroaki stopped still when he heard the sound of a twig snap. The sound of a distant train roared in the distance, but that didn't ease the tight feeling in Hiroaki's chest that he'd had since stepping from the office. Something was wrong.

Hiroaki put away his cigarette and lighter, listening carefully to his surroundings. Without delaying further, he started walking at a brisk pace hoping to find another person soon but not even a car passed by. Hiroaki turned a corner, only a few minutes away from home. Suddenly, his vision swam and he heard another sharp crack, causing him to jump. Hiroaki thought he saw movement out of the corner of his eye.

0101010101

Jou jolted awake when he heard a buzzing sound, causing him to roll off the edge of the bed and land with a thud. He rubbed his shoulder, although he was more surprised than hurt. Groping for his glasses, Jou noticed it was still dark outside. He frowned, wondering who on Earth would be calling him now.

He had just fixed his glasses on his face when his phone buzzed again. Switching on the light, Jou peered at his phone with a frown. Who was trying to call him at _four in the morning_? Yamato's name popped up at the top of the text message. Jou frowned, remembering Yamato had been at a gig the night before. Could he have drunk-called Jou? Jou immediately dismissed the thought. Yamato stayed away from the drink and drugs, plus Sora had gone with him, so it was unlikely she would have let him…

 _'rainbow hospital'_

He urgently read Yamato's text again, taking in the characters. Yamato knew Jou was busy with his studies, so for him to call Jou on a school night… Jou felt his stomach twist. Had something happened?

Jou threw on his school uniform, glad he'd decided to shower the night before. Dumping the books from last night in his bag, Jou grabbed his basic pack he saved for travel to the Digital World and dialled Yamato's mobile just as he opened the door. It barely rang before the call was answered.

 _"Hello?"_ Yamato sounded exhausted.

"Yamato, I'll be there in twenty minutes. What happened? Is Sora all right?"

Jou closed the door quietly and began jogging to the elevator. He felt his heart beat faster the longer the silence lasted.

 _"No, she's fine. Sorry, I should have probably called her instead, but I figured-"_

"Don't worry about it," Jou interrupted. "I'm up now. You need me to bring anything?"

The pause was so long that Jou began to think he'd lost signal. However, before he could say anything, Yamato quietly responded that there was nothing he particularly needed.

It took Jou longer than he would have liked to finally reach the hospital. He burst into the oppressively silent entrance and doubled over, trying to catch his breath before he passed out. When he had finally regained a little of his composure, he looked around the room to find Yamato.

Yamato was sitting in the middle of a row of chairs. His shoes were on the ground, placed under the chair and out of people's way, and his feet were up on the chair so that his chin could rest on his knees. He hadn't even noticed his friend's dramatic entrance.

"Yamato?"

Jou approached his friend cautiously, not wanting to startle him. Slowly Yamato looked up. His eyes had large dark circles under them from lack of sleep and he looked to be in a daze. Eventually he focussed on Jou.

"Hi."

Jou sat down next to him.

"What happened?"

Yamato shook his head as if he was still trying to make sense of it.

"I got a call from the hospital saying someone had found Dad unconscious." He turned his head towards the reception desk. "They said that they suspect it was a heart attack, but," he trailed off and looked at the ground, "to be honest, I'm not sure what they were saying." Yamato laughed mirthlessly. "I guess that's why I called you first."

Jou grabbed one of Yamato's hands and squeezed it, hoping to be reassuring.

"I'll go and talk to them and find out what they know, OK?"

Yamato squeezed his hand back and nodded.

"Did you want me to call anyone?"

"I don't want to bother them. It's bad enough I woke you."

Jou frowned. "I hardly think anyone would consider it a bother."

However, Yamato stayed silent, so Jou didn't push the issue further. He resolved to at least message Sora or Taichi in the morning (he figured Yamato would kill him if he called Takeru).

Walking up to the desk, Jou went over to the nurse who seemed the least busy. He was glancing through a file and looked up as Jou approached.

"Sorry to bother you, but do you know anything about Mr Ishida? My friend's having trouble processing the situation."

The nurse looked past him to Yamato, who was sitting on the chair and looking at the floor.

"Kimura, you know a bit about Mr Ishida, correct?"

One of the female nurses looked up from her work and walked over. She glanced between them before facing Jou completely.

"What would you like to know?"

"Could you please tell me what happened?"

The female nurse saw Yamato still in the waiting room and her expression became more melancholy.

"I'm glad he called a friend.

"Mr. Ishida was found collapsed on the street somewhere near his home at around 2:45. He was stabilised and brought to this hospital. Unfortunately, he seems to have sustained a major head injury from his fall. We suspect a heart attack, but currently it's too early to be conclusive."

Jou nodded, indicating he'd understood before he thanked the female nurse. She turned away to resume her work.

"What are the visiting hours?"

"Mr Ishida currently is in an area that doesn't receive visitors, but I can let you know when he's been moved," said the male nurse.

Jou thanked him for his help and walked back over to Yamato.

"Why don't I take you home? We can leave your number with the hospital to call you if there's any change."

Yamato glanced towards the door where patients were located. Slowly, he nodded.

Jou smiled at him and walked over to the reception to give them both Yamato's mobile and home numbers. The nurses said they'd call as soon as there was some new information. Jou thanked them again and gently pulled Yamato away.

It was six thirty by the time they got back to Yamato's apartment. Jou asked if he could use the bathroom to get ready into his school uniform.

"Have you eaten yet?"

"Don't worry–" Jou's stomach interrupted with a loud growl.

He felt his face heat up, so Jou quickly looked at the ground to hide his embarrassment.

"Go get ready; I'll make you something."

"You sure?"

Yamato smiled at him. It wasn't a proper smile, but he seemed to genuinely want to make breakfast. Jou noted the dark circles under Yamato's eyes looked even more prominent than at the hospital.

Jou tried not to take long as he brushed his hair and tidied himself up. His stomach growled again as he opened the door to the main room, the smell of cooking wafting through the house.

Yamato set the food on the table just as Jou hung his bag on the back of his chair. They both sat down and Jou mumbled a 'thank you' before he started. The food was hot and delicious, but Jou barely concentrated on it; instead, sneaking glances at his companion and host. One of the times he looked up, Yamato caught his eye and raised a questioning brow. Embarrassed, Jou hunched back over his food, a blush steadily growing across his cheeks. A few more minutes of silence passed.

Jou cleared his throat awkwardly. "I was going to message Taichi and Sora. I think they should know what's going on."

They were the people Jou thought Yamato would be least likely to reject, what with Taichi being their leader and Sora his girlfriend. Part of him wanted to skip school and just stay with Yamato to make sure he didn't do anything stupid, but he knew Yamato wouldn't like that.

Yamato shrugged his shoulders – at least that wasn't a 'no.'

Jou glanced at the clock to see how much time he had – he nearly dropped his chopsticks. The chair scraped back and nearly toppled over as Jou jumped up with a yell.

"Is that the time?"

"When's your train?"

Jou checked his watch, barely taking in Yamato's question.

"I should still be able to make it if I run," he whispered to himself.

He grabbed his bag and threw it over his shoulder when Yamato held out something in his path. Curious, he took it.

"Lunch," Yamato responded to the silent question. "I figured you didn't have one."

"Thanks. Sorry I have to go. Will you be OK on your own?"

Yamato responded with a weak smile. "Just get going. You're gonna be late for school otherwise."

Jou took his advice and ran out the door, but not before thanking Yamato again for the food.

He didn't remember to text the others until it was nearly lunchtime.

* * *

Sora stood by the school entrance, leaning against one of the stone posts. She had told Yamato to meet her at the gate this morning so they could spend some time together before school, but he had yet to show up. Sora tapped her foot in agitation, her annoyance increasing the longer she waited. She checked her phone for what felt like the one-hundredth time in the last few minutes. He _still_ hadn't replied to her text.

Ten minutes before the start of school, she finally decided to call him. He'd probably stayed up late finishing off his homework and forgot to set an alarm. The phone rung several times before a weary voice picked up.

 _"Hello?"_

"Please don't tell me you're still asleep."

 _"Sorry, I meant to call you earlier, but I fell asleep."_

Sora felt her stomach twist. It was as if he hadn't even heard her.

"Yamato, are you all right?"

 _"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine. Dad's in hospital, though; suspected heart attack."_

Sora opened her mouth but no sound came out. For a moment, she felt as if everyone was watching her. She turned towards the wall so no one could see her expression as she hunched over her phone.

"Why didn't you call me?"

 _"I didn't want to wake you,"_ he said feebly, as if he knew that was a terrible reason. _"Jou came. He helped explain what was happening. He said he was going to text you, but had to leave for school in a hurry, so he might have forgotten."_

"Do you want me to come over?"

 _"No that's all right. I'm going to get some sleep and wait for the hospital to call me." He paused. "Are you free after school?"_

"Of course! I'll bring Taichi along too."

 _"Thanks."_

"Sure. Have you contacted the school, yet?"

Yamato's sigh was all she needed to hear.

 _"Mind collecting my homework? I'll give them a call after this."_

Sora made a noise to indicate she would. She took a deep breath before asking her next question.

"Have you called your mother?"

The silence from the other side spoke volumes. She sighed.

 _"Don't tell anyone except Taichi. I want Takeru to hear it from me."_

Sora took a moment to collect herself before responding. "Fine, but please call your mother sometime today at the very least."

Sora hung up just as the bell rang for class. Cursing, she ran as fast as she could to the classroom.

* * *

Sora was never late. Taichi looked up just as she burst into the classroom, apologising profusely to the teacher. He stared at her, trying to catch her attention, but Sora ignored him, staring straight towards the front of the class as she sat down.

"Takenouchi, you will take Aiba's place cleaning the classroom after school."

Sora nodded to indicate she had heard before taking the books out of her bag. Everyone in the class immediately started whispering amongst each other as the teacher moved towards the blackboard. By the time she turned around, the class was silent again.

Taichi scribbled a note and flicked it to Sora when the teacher wasn't looking.

 _What happened?_

Sora carefully wrote a reply between the teacher writing things on the board and picking on other students for answers. She tossed it back just before the teacher turned around to ask another question.

"Takenouchi?"

Sora stood up. "It indicates a…"

Taichi ignored the rest, figuring she'd answer the teacher's question well enough. Instead, he opened up the note below his desk while looking towards Sora to make it look as if he was paying attention.

 _I'll tell you after class._

Taichi pouted at the vague answer, but immediately snapped to attention when the teacher called his name. He glanced at Sora, hoping she would give him a hint as to what the question was, but she merely smiled back, waiting for him to dig himself out.

The rest of class seemed to drag and Taichi found himself fidgeting more than usual. When it was finally break time, Sora slowly packed away her books and took him to a secluded part of the school grounds.

The light wind rustled the small branches of the tree they stood under; while the sun shone through the leaves, making it look as if they were almost glowing. Sora leaned against the tree trunk. Taichi watched Sora intently, waiting silently for her to say something.

"Yamato's father is in hospital."

Taichi felt himself go cold despite the warm breeze. He waited for Sora to continue, but she remained silent.

"What happened?"

Sora shook her head. "I don't know much. I called Yamato when he didn't turn up this morning – we were supposed to meet before school.

"He said they suspect it was a heart attack. I was planning to visit him after school, but…"

"Forget cleaning duty," Taichi interrupted firmly. " _I'll_ take your place. If anyone has a problem with it, I'll deal with them."

Sora looked up at him. "Taichi…"

He shrugged. "It's not like I'd be great at comforting him. I'll catch up with you after I've finished."

Suddenly their phones buzzed at the same time. Sharing a glance, they moved to read their messages.

"Is yours from Jou as well?"

"Yeah, he said he forgot to message me sooner."

"Me too."

"...Does Takeru know?"

"Not yet," Sora said with a shake of her head. "Yamato didn't want anyone else knowing in case Takeru found out from them."

"Fine. We'll keep it between us for now," he said after a long sigh.

"Why hasn't he told Takeru?" Taichi asked, feeling he was missing something.

"Because that would mean calling his mother."

"They still don't talk much?"

"Not really. I think Yamato still feels he's betraying his father if he asks her for help even though I doubt Mr Ishida would mind."

"Especially when he's in hospital." Taichi sighed again. "We'll stick to the plan. You go to Yamato's house after school and I'll join you as soon as I'm done. We might have to beat some sense into him, though."

Classes seemed to pass too slowly for Taichi. It wasn't like he paid attention all that much, but everything seemed so much slower today. He found himself glancing at Sora way too often, wondering how she was keeping such a calm outer façade. He knew she was just as worried as – if not more so than – he was.

The final bell rang and Taichi jumped up quickly, helping Sora to gather her things. He walked her down the stairs to the school entrance.

"I'll be along as soon as I'm done. Keep Yamato from doing anything stupid."

"Did something happen to Yamato?"

Taichi and Sora almost jumped to face Yuka Aiba, who watched the two curiously. Yamato was well known throughout the school. Apparently, rumours of his absence had already begun to spread.

"Uh…" Taichi tried to think of some excuse, but not a single idea would come into his head.

Yuka faced Sora. "Is that why you were late to class?"

Sora looked towards the ground, but said nothing. Taichi stepped forward, ready to make excuses so Sora could leave, however, Yuka spoke first.

"You two are close with him, right?" she asked with a smile. "I'll do cleaning duty today."

"But…" Taichi was quickly cut off.

"It was my turn anyway, so it's not like I had made any plans. If our teacher has a problem with it, I'll tell her you felt ill or something."

From seemingly nowhere, Taichi stepped forward and clasped Yuka's hands in his. He had a grin on his face as he shook them.

"You're amazing, Yuka! We'll do your cleaning duties for the rest of the year for this!"

Yuka laughed. "Don't be ridiculous! Just go and help your friend. I'm sure he'll appreciate seeing you both."

Taichi and Sora ran out from the school, thanking Yuka again and flew out the door. Students stared as the two kept side-by-side as they moved quickly down the streets.

* * *

Yamato opened his eyes at the sound of pounding on the front door. Before he could process the situation, the doorbell rang. Pushing himself from the kitchen table, Yamato dragged himself to the front door.

He must have looked a state because both Taichi and Sora immediately looked concerned when he opened the door. Before he could say anything, Sora's arms were around his neck, pulling him down into a hug. He hugged her back, his forehead leaning against her shoulder. Her heart was racing in her chest. Yamato soon realised she and Taichi must have run from school.

"Do you want any water?" he asked politely as he straightened again.

Taichi pushed past him without any ceremony – which Yamato was grateful for – and headed straight to the kitchen.

"Water's fine. Do you have any ice? It's pretty warm outside."

Sora, who was still breathing heavily beside him, glanced up with a weary smile. Yamato smiled back and squeezed her hand in his.

"I brought some DVDs we could watch," Taichi shouted from the kitchen.

Sora gently tugged at Yamato's hand and led him towards the kitchen, where Taichi was rummaging around in the fridge before moving on to the cupboards.

"You don't seem to have much in the way of edible food."

Yamato shrugged. "I was supposed to go shopping yesterday, but finished the concert late."

Needless to say, he hadn't stepped out of the house since Jou had left that morning.

"Why don't we get take-out?" Taichi suggested as he closed the fridge door. "We can order now and I'll go to pick it up."

Yamato wanted to cook in order to keep himself distracted, but also knew he probably wasn't in the best state to be over a hot stove. He shrugged his shoulders silently. Sora squeezed his hand.

"How about that place just down the road that we visited a few weeks ago?" she suggested. "It had a good selection of food."

Taichi grinned at the suggestion, remembering the big bowl of noodles he had eaten last time.

"All right, I'll go and get some food. What do you guys want?"

Yamato found himself shrugging again and Sora eyed him with concern. Eventually, she ordered for both of them while Yamato remained silent. She walked over and whispered something to Taichi, who nodded grimly before walking out the door.

Once the door closed, Yamato collapsed back into one of the chairs and covered his face with his hands. He was too tired to try keeping up appearances. Sora rested her hand on his shoulder for a moment as she walked past him on her way to the kitchen.

Dirty dishes were piled high in the sink, but Sora overlooked them for once. Instead, she focused on finding three sets of plates and utensils that were clean. She found them easily enough and began setting the table while Yamato stayed where he was. Only when Sora finished did Yamato look up to see if there was something he could do to help.

"Thank you," he said the moment he realised she'd already laid the table. "Sorry, I'm a bit of a mess at the moment."

Yamato hung his head, but could hear Sora walking around his chair. He opened his eyes just to notice as she crouched down in front of him, her hands resting on his knees.

"You're allowed to feel off today," she reassured him, squeezing his knees.

He looked at her and bit his lip to stop the tears from falling.

"I don't know what I'd do without him," he confessed, his voice so quiet that Yamato began to wonder if she'd heard him.

However, Sora had. She stood up and walked around enough so that she could wrap her arms around his neck and he could lean his head on her shoulder. Once he had taken a few calming breaths, Sora placed a kiss on his cheek, then sat back while keeping eye contact with him. Yamato reached up and took her hand, squeezing it in silent thanks for her support.

They remained in comfortable silence until Taichi returned. By the time the doorbell rang, Yamato felt composed enough to answer the door himself. After loading up their plates, the three retreated to Yamato's room and sat on his bed.

The credits rolled on the first movie they watched before Taichi gathered his nerve enough to broach the elephant in the room.

"When're you gonna call your Mom?"

Yamato tensed and Sora turned to face him.

"She doesn't have anything to do with this."

"Yamato…"

Taichi cut off whatever Sora was potentially going to say next, needing to get his thoughts out first.

"She's still your mother and if you could let go of your pride – or whatever your reason is for not calling her – you might see that she can help you. No one's going to think less of you if you ask for help."

Yamato's gaze fell to his hand, which was picking at his bedcover. Sora and Taichi watched him expectantly.

"I'm not sure how."

Yamato sounded so young that the fight quickly left Taichi. Instead, he was left staring as Sora took over, talking Yamato through the steps and suggested things he could say. Finally, Yamato swung his feet over the side of the bed and walked into the main room. Taichi and Sora listened as Yamato picked up the phone.

"Hey Takeru, it's Yamato. Mind putting me through to Mom?"

* * *

Takeru couldn't remember his mother being hysterical before. He had seen her furious and melancholy, but watching her yell at his brother made Takeru feel sick. Tears fell down her cheeks freely as she continued to shout and the other visitors averted their eyes in embarrassment. For once, though, Natsuko Takaishi didn't care.

They had received a call that evening from Yamato. Takeru had been all too happy to give the phone to his mother, since the two never talked. That should have been his first clue that something was wrong. He remembered watching his mother become increasingly pale as Yamato talked on the other line and the feeling of dread when she said they would leave immediately before slowly putting the phone down.

It had taken them a long time to get to the hospital. His mother looked grim and Takeru had let his thoughts wander through every possible scenario, each one becoming more and more horrific. As soon as they'd arrived, his mother had gone running over to Yamato, who was sitting with Taichi and Sora on either side, and began grilling him as to what had happened.

"Umm Mrs Ishida?"

Both Yamato and Natsuko turned at once to face the doctor. Natsuko stumbled for a moment before forming her reply.

"My… Hiroaki and I are no longer married. I'd prefer Ms Takaishi."

The doctor looked uncomfortable, but recovered quickly. "Ms Takaishi, could we please speak in private?"

Yamato stood up, fists clenched in anger. "Whatever you have to say to her you can say to me as well."

Sora placed a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. "Yamato…"

Yamato shrugged it off and stepped towards them, fury in his voice. "I'm the one who knows him better than anyone here! And you want to talk to _her_ over _me_?"

Takeru stood back as his brother looked frantically between his friends and the doctor, hoping for some support. When no one stepped forward, Yamato backed away, sending one last hate-filled look to their mother before storming to the hospital exit. Takeru met his older brother's eyes for a moment, but Yamato made sure not to make any eye contact.

"Yamato!" Sora called after him.

Yamato didn't stop. Sora shared a glance with Taichi, who gave her a nod. She jogged after her boyfriend, sending Takeru a sympathetic glance as she passed by. Nervously, Takeru shuffled towards Taichi and his mother. Taichi smiled at him in a way that was obviously trying to be reassuring, but Takeru just felt hollow inside.

"You said you wished to speak to me in private?"

The doctor coughed nervously. "Umm… yes, right… please come this way."

"Mom?"

"I'm just going to speak to the doctor, but I'll be back shortly, dear."

The smile she gave him was strained and she hurriedly followed the doctor before Takeru could think of a response. Takeru's shoulders sagged.

"Want a drink?" Taichi offered.

Takeru shook his head, not bothering to look up. Slowly he collapsed back onto one of the waiting seats.

"No thanks."

Taichi sat down next to him with a sigh. He pulled out his phone and sent a text message before shoving it back into his pocket.

"I thought they were getting along better. Yamato still wasn't comfortable visiting, but they were civil."

"Yamato's just stressed at the moment. From what I know, he hasn't slept very well since last night."

"You don't need to coddle me, you know."

Taichi snorted. "Since when have I ever coddled you?"

The two sat together in silence. Takeru pulled out his phone and loaded a game to give himself a distraction.

"It's going to be all right, isn't it?"

He glanced at Taichi, who stared back silently. Finally, he sighed.

"Whatever happens, we'll face it together."

It wasn't the answer Takeru wanted, but somehow Taichi's words were comforting all the same.

* * *

There was a pond outside the hospital that Yamato found himself gravitating towards. It was surrounded by tall hedges with the city lights reflecting on the surface and no one else was around. He walked to the edge and sat down, angrily brushing away the first tears that fell.

He tensed when footsteps approached from behind, but quickly realised it was just Sora. She remained silent as she sat down, her leaning against Yamato so that their backs were touching. Her hand reached out to touch his wrist.

"Want to go to the Digital World?"

Yamato laughed mirthlessly. "That would just be running away."

"Maybe," she conceded. "But that isn't always a bad thing."

"I should have called to check up on him. As soon as I finished my essay I should have checked he was still OK."

"You had already texted him. There was no reason to think something was wrong."

"And why are they talking to _her_ first? _I'm_ the one who knows him; his eating habits, how many packets of cigarettes he smokes a day, how much sleep he gets…"

Yamato took a breath to calm himself.

"Ever since the divorce it's been the two of us." He paused, looking up at the dark sky. "What if he dies?"

Sora's arms encircled his waist and he felt her head rest on his shoulder. A fresh breeze made its way through the hedges, rustling the leaves and causing ripples to dance across the water.

"Then we'll face it together."

They sat outside for a little longer, watching the water distort the image of the city lights. Eventually, Yamato brushed himself off and stood up, offering her a hand up.

"Thank you."

"Ready to face them?"

"Not sure, but I can at least try."

Yamato stepped back inside the hospital waiting room with Sora holding onto his arm. Takeru was the first to notice them.

"Yamato!"

"Have they come out yet?"

"Not yet," Taichi replied, standing up.

All four of them looked towards the door Natsuko had disappeared through with the doctor. Barely a moment later, Yamato sucked in a breath as the door opened.

Natsuko face was blank as she stepped out of the room. She thanked the doctor and walked over to the group of children. Yamato waited for her to scold him, ask him if he was done being petulant or whether he was going to start acting like the _older_ brother – she did none of that.

"Your father's going to be in hospital for some time. Why don't you stay with us until he gets better?"

"Is he OK?" Takeru asked.

"The doctor said he'll need plenty of rest, but they're hopeful he'll recover."

Immediately Takeru's expression brightened and Yamato felt his insides twist. She was holding something back, but he wouldn't challenge her in front of Takeru. He nodded silently and hated how hopeful she looked.

"I'll help you move," Takeru offered.

"And who's going to clean up your room and clear some drawer space for your brother?"

"But Mom…"

"How about you let your brother and his friends move his stuff while we clear up the house?"

"Don't worry," Yamato reassured him with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "You don't want to go through my stuff."

"We're gonna get Shanghaied into this, aren't we?" Taichi asked Sora, who covered her mouth to hide her giggles.

" _True_ friends would be happy to help," Yamato deadpanned.

The three began walking away, Sora in the middle of the bickering boys. However, before they could get too far, Natsuko called out to them.

"Yamato, take my key, so you can let yourself into the apartment."

Yamato forced himself to walk back over to her and held his hand out. The key felt heavier than he'd expected. He stared at it longer than he should have.

"Thanks," he choked out.

He turned and jogged back to Taichi and Sora before she could say anything else.

* * *

Without the lights on, the apartment felt even lonelier than when he'd first arrived. Taichi glanced around the main room, noticing the clothes draped over a chair and the dirty dishes they'd left to get to the hospital on time.

Yamato, ignoring the mess, headed straight for his room. Taichi shared a look with Sora before she quickly followed after Yamato. Taichi was never one for doing house chores, but he picked up the dishes and placed them on the side of the sink. He turned on the hot tap, wanting to make himself useful somehow. As he washed the dishes, getting soapsuds everywhere, he could just make out Yamato and Sora's quiet voices in the other room.

Yamato stood in the middle of his room, at a loss as to what he should take. He took out a large duffle bag and began filling it with the essentials – toiletries, clothes – things that he knew he would need. However, he quickly ran into a problem. Did he need to take a towel or was there a spare one at the house? What about bedding? He wanted to bring his guitar, but Yamato also knew he could only carry so much.

"Is your school bag already packed?"

"Yeah," he replied after glancing over to check it was still where he expected it to be.

Sora walked over to his desk and began looking through things while Yamato continued to open drawers and yank out clothes to find the ones he wanted. By the time he was finished, Yamato had two large duffle bags and his school bag to carry. He would have to leave everything else for another trip, but given that he would be sharing Takeru's room, it was probably a good idea not to bring an excessive amount of stuff. Yamato pocketed his harmonica, which was resting on his desk, then grabbed his bags.

"Aren't you taking your guitar?"

"I don't want to take too much, besides I don't think I can carry any more."

"You're carrying one bag for each of us," Taichi commented while he dried his hands on a kitchen towel.

"It's late. I can't ask you both to come with me."

"Good thing you're not asking, then."

Yamato looked from Taichi to Sora and recognised their similarly stubborn expressions. Fighting with them would be a waste of time, particularly if he wanted to go back to school tomorrow.

"Fine," he said as he set down the two larger bags.

He put all his music scribbles into his guitar case and handed it to Sora, along with his school bag. He then packed up his laptop, putting the wires and extra equipment safely in one of the duffle bags. Taichi had already slung the other one over his shoulder.

The three stepped out of the house and Yamato was especially careful to lock the door behind him. Fortunately, Takeru no longer lived on the other side of Tokyo, so they decided to walk to the Takaishi apartment.

The elevator ride felt too long and yet too short. Yamato had only visited their apartment block once or twice, but it was usually to visit Miyako's apartment along with Koushiro and sometimes his other band mates.

Yamato stopped in front of the door abruptly. He focused on the sign reading 'Takaishi,' tracing the second character (which their family names both shared) with his finger. With one final sigh, Yamato pulled out his mother's keys and opened the door, allowing light to stream out onto the terrace.

It was brighter than he would have guessed. However, the shoes neatly lining the front step and immaculate floors were expected. Pictures hung in deliberate places along the walls and everything in view had a purpose. Yamato wanted to walk straight back out, but Taichi seemed to notice his hesitation and clapped Yamato on the shoulder with his free hand, effectively stopping his retreat.

"So which one's Takeru's room?"

 _I don't know_ , Yamato thought.

He glanced between the rooms with closed doors, wondering whether he should just pick one. However, before he could embarrass himself, one of the doors opened and Patamon flew to meet them.

"Takeru, they're here!"

Takeru poked his head around the door and smiled at the three visitors.

"You can drop your things in here. Mom's just gone to buy more food, so she won't be much longer."

"Thanks, but we've already…" an elbow to the stomach cut off the rest of Yamato's words. He glared at Taichi, who walked into Takeru's room as if nothing had happened.

Before Yamato could kill his best friend, Sora placed a hand on his arm and gave him a look that dared him to cause trouble. He sighed and put his bags down on one side of the room so they would be a little out of the way.

The room was about as big as his was, with a desk in one corner and a bed along the opposite wall. In the middle of the floor was an unrolled futon with an extra duvet on top.

"I cleared out some cupboard space for your uniform, plus I've emptied out that set of drawers," he said, pointing to a set with three drawers that Yamato thought might just hold all his clothes.

"Want us to help you unpack?" Sora asked.

Yamato shook his head. "It's late. You don't have to stay."

"Hey, Takeru, mind showing me where the toilet is?" Taichi asked as he stepped out of the room.

Takeru raised an eyebrow at his question. "It's the next door along."

"You mean this one?"

Taichi went the opposite way Takeru had said and opened the door to the office. Takeru rolled his eyes and Patamon flew after him. Yamato and Sora watched them with bemused expressions.

"Taichi isn't exactly subtle."

"Fortunately, he doesn't normally need to be."

Yamato watched Sora as she brushed off imaginary dust from his shoulders. She stopped and looked up at him.

"Will you be all right here?"

"I'll manage."

She leaned up and kissed him softly. He smiled at her as she pulled away.

"I'll see you at school tomorrow."

"Are you sure?"

Yamato snorted mirthlessly. "I think I'll drive myself insane if I stay here all day."

Sora smiled at him, but her eyes were filled with worry. "Sleep well, then."

"You too."

"You guys done in there?"

Sora giggled in embarrassment as Yamato huffed with annoyance. Sora walked out of the room first with Yamato following close behind her. They found Takeru standing by the door holding Patamon while Taichi was slipping on his shoes.

"Next time just tell me when you want to be alone," Takeru groused.

Taichi grinned. "Sorry, but our moms are probably worried about us. You coming into school tomorrow?" he asked Yamato.

Sora walked up to the entrance and slipped her shoes on.

"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow."

The brothers waved their friends goodbye just before Natsuko arrived back at the apartment.

"You two mind helping me put away the groceries? Yamato, I'm afraid the key cutter was closed already so I'll have to go tomorrow."

The three put away the groceries and Takeru showed Yamato where everything went. Before long, it was close to midnight and Natsuko ushered the boys to bed.

Takeru snuggled under the covers with Patamon curled up near his stomach. He watched Yamato kick the duvet back and sit on his futon.

"Are you really going to make your poor big brother sleep on the floor?"

Takeru grinned at him. "Don't even try it. I know you've slept on worse"

Yamato pouted as he slipped under the covers and brought the duvet to his chest.

"Besides, you always made me sleep on the floor when I visited, so now it's your turn."

"Fine," he grumbled, even though he wasn't mad.

Takeru smiled at him and reached up to switch off the bedside light.

"Goodnight, Yamato."

Yamato stared at the ceiling even when the light was turned off. His eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness and he listened to Patamon and Takeru's light snores.

"Goodnight, Takeru."

* * *

Gorou sighed as he pushed through the barriers of his local station and out onto the street. It had been a long day at work, with an international call at two in the morning. He had almost been tempted to sleep at the office, but he'd forgotten to bring an extra shirt, so instead chose to return home to get a hot shower and a clean set of clothes.

As he approached the alley before his house, Gorou noticed that the streetlights weren't working. He clutched his briefcase a little tighter, but stopped in his tracks at the lone, shadowy figure standing in the middle of the street.

* * *

 **Please review. Chapter 2 to be released 13th July.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for your support so far, particularly those who reviewed! Your comments really made me smile. If you've got some time, check out ToriiTama on Tumblr who has produced some lovely fan art: toriitama. tumblr post/ 147181278710/ takeru-leaned-against-his-older-brothers (just remove the spaces). The picture is from a later chapter, but I can't say it really gives anything away.**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 2_**

"Boys, get up; it's time for school!"

Yamato rolled onto his back and slowly opened his eyes. The sun was barely peeking through the curtains. He brought his arm up to shield his eyes and let himself lay there for another moment, reminding himself of yesterday's events.

A sharp kick to his side pulled him back to the present. Yamato lifted his arm enough so that he could see the perpetrator, who had a cheeky grin spread across his face.

"Better get up soon or you'll miss breakfast."

Takeru almost got out of the room before Yamato yanked him back inside. Yamato pulled his younger brother into a chokehold and ran his knuckles through Takeru's hair.

"Ow, stop it! Mom!"

Yamato released Takeru and shoved his little brother out the door so he could get his clothes together. He walked all the way to the shower room before he heard his mother's call.

"Yamato, did you hurt your brother?"

"Only because Takeru kicked me first," he said before closing the door and turning on the shower.

He walked out, ready for school, to the smell of breakfast. Takeru had already sat down and was wolfing down his food with Patamon eating beside him.

"Is there anything left?" Yamato joked, watching his brother in amusement.

Takeru glared at him long enough for Yamato to notice, but quickly went back to his food. Before Yamato could sit down, Natsuko placed a bowl in front of him.

"Eat up quickly or you'll be late. Do you know where you're going?"

"Don't worry, I can figure out how to get to school from here."

"You could go with Miyako and her sister," Takeru suggested. "Chizuru's in your class, right?"

Natsuko brightened immediately. "Oh, that's a good idea!"

Yamato shrugged, but didn't protest against the suggestion as he dug into his food. It was strange being in a home with so much noise. He was used to his father grabbing lunch and running out the door and, if Yamato was lucky, he'd be reminded not to fail at school. Yamato quickly finished his breakfast, picked up his bowl and moved over to the sink. Takeru walked over with his and Patamon's bowls.

"Just put them on the side. I'll wash them."

"You sure? Thanks!"

Takeru gave Yamato a quick hug and then ran back to his room, Patamon following closely behind him.

"I made you a pack lunch."

Yamato glanced at the bag that sat on the side and then up to Natsuko. He smiled politely and thanked her before turning his attention back to the washing up as he finished off the last bowl.

"Thank you for breakfast."

"Of course. I was a little worried I hadn't made enough, what with two growing boys and a digimon to feed."

Yamato put his hand on the lunch, but didn't pick it up.

"Dad's condition… it isn't good, is it? That's why the doctor wanted to speak with you alone."

Natsuko froze, her lips parted. Slowly, she regained her composure.

"The doctors are hopeful…"

Yamato found himself remembering a similar conversation at a much earlier point in his life.

 _"Do you and Dad not love each other anymore?"_

 _"Just because we argue, doesn't mean we don't love each other. Things will work out, you'll see."_

He wondered if she believed her own words. Had she believed them back then? Unable to bring himself to say anything else, or even look at her again, Yamato picked up his lunchbox and walked away.

"Thanks for the food."

He left Natsuko standing alone in the middle of the kitchen.

"Ready to go?" Takeru asked brightly. He sobered when he saw Yamato's face. "Is everything all right?"

Yamato put a hand on Takeru's head to ruffle his hair. No need to worry him.

"Yeah, let's get going."

"Bye Mom!" Takeru called from behind him as the two walked outside the apartment.

"Takeru! Oh, hi Yamato."

Miyako, Iori and Chizuru were standing outside the apartment block. Iori watched the brothers with suspicion. Suddenly, Yamato was glad he would only have to deal with questions from the Inoue sisters.

"Good morning."

"I didn't know you were staying at your mom's, Yamato."

Yamato shrugged his shoulders with a smile, but said nothing.

"We'd better get going, Takeru," Iori reminded him.

"Right. We'll see you after school, Miyako."

"OK, have a good day you two!"

* * *

The first part of their journey was completely silent. Takeru was just beginning to wonder if he had done something to upset Iori when the younger boy spoke.

"Did something happen?"

Takeru was genuinely confused. "What do you mean?"

"Yamato never visits your house, let alone stays over for the night."

Takeru almost laughed. Trust Iori to notice something like that.

"Our father's in hospital, so Yamato's staying with us until he's finally released."

"Is it serious?"

"I'm not sure. I think Mom knows more than she's telling us."

* * *

"Everyone was worried when you didn't show up to school yesterday – well, some thought it was because of the concert you were a part of the night before, but Akira and the others said you left early."

Yamato shoved his hands in his pockets. It wasn't like his father's hospitalisation was a secret and it was likely to spread around the school by the end of the day anyway. At least this way he could quash any rumours.

"My dad collapsed on Wednesday night. I got the call sometime around three, so didn't end up sleeping much."

"I'm so sorry."

Miyako had been uncharacteristically silent through the conversation so far. Yamato glanced at her, trying to figure out what she might be thinking.

"So you're staying with your mother for a bit?"

Yamato turned his attention back to Chizuru.

"Yeah, at least until Dad is released."

"Do you want to copy my notes from yesterday? You can give them back to me before the end of school."

"Would you mind? Sora got most of my homework assignments from the teachers but I think they're expecting me to catch up without having done any classwork."

"Is he going to be all right?"

Both of the older teens turned to look at Miyako. Her voice had been so soft Yamato almost hadn't heard her.

"The doctors are hopeful he'll recover," he said, borrowing his mother's meaningless words.

Miyako merely nodded, still deep in thought.

* * *

"The event doesn't seem to have been picked up by the mainstream media."

"Maybe it was a computer glitch?"

Koushiro shot Taichi a withering look. Ever the peacemaker, Sora stepped between them.

"Should we investigate? Maybe it's not being reported because no one understands it."

"It's not too far away. I suppose we could have some of the younger Chosen take a look."

"Is this about that event from the night before last?"

The three turned just as Miyako stepped into the room, followed by Yamato carrying several notebooks. Sora raised an eyebrow at him.

"Chizuru gave me her notes to write up. I wanted to give them back to her before class."

He pulled up a seat and spread out his books in front of him, concentrating on his work while keeping an ear out for their conversation.

"Yes," Koushiro replied to Miyako's earlier question. "There doesn't seem to be any event that correlates with it."

"Hmm…"

The zipper to Miyako's bag undid itself and Poromon jumped out to sit on one of the computer desks.

"But what about BlackWarGreymon's seal?"

"It's been weakening rapidly for the last month." Koushiro explained. "So the gate over Odaiba may reopen soon."

"That _would_ make our lives a little easier," said Miyako.

The younger Chosen had been returning to the Digital World every so often to check up on things, however, it was much more difficult than it should have been because they were unable to easily open a gate in their own homes.

"Unfortunately, BlackWarGreymon's seal has caused more disruption than expected."

"No one realised what the consequences would be and it's unlikely we could have stopped him even if we had," Sora reasoned.

Taichi glanced up at the clock. "Class is going to start in a few minutes. We'll keep this between us for now. A trip to the Digital World might be in order," he said, his attention on Miyako.

"I'm on it."

"And I'll guard the computer room," Poromon added.

Koushiro and Miyako were the first to leave. Taichi hung back enough to see Sora speaking quietly to Yamato. He couldn't hear the words, but he heard the concern in her voice. Almost as one, they turned to look at him and Taichi gave a nod of encouragement.

They'd all get through this somehow.

* * *

Yamato pushed the door open to the Takaishi household, completely exhausted. Band practice had lasted later than usual and he'd wanted to drop by his apartment to check on things. Wearily, Yamato kicked off his shoes and made his way straight towards Takeru's room.

"You're home late."

Natsuko was standing in the kitchen area with a large spoon in her hand. The smell of cooking hit Yamato almost instantly. He felt his stomach growl.

"Yeah, sorry, I had a few things to do," he replied as he stepped into his brother's room.

One thing that Yamato had found unnerving was that everything was so bright and clean. It wasn't that he and his dad lived in filth, but there were certain days when they were both busy that neither would do the dishes or clothes would just be put over chairs until the laundry was done. There was something refreshing about coming home and not have to do any cleaning up or cooking. Unfortunately, there was still homework to finish, so Yamato grabbed his book bag and headed out to the dining room table.

"May I do my homework here?"

"Of course! Do you have much work to catch up on?"

"Not really. Chizuru let me copy her notes during the day, so I just need to finish my homework."

"Chizuru… that's Miyako's sister, correct?"

"Yeah."

When his mother didn't say anything more, Yamato looked up to see her concentrating on dinner. He felt a smile creep onto his lips as he turned his concentration back to his homework.

It was another couple of hours before the door opened again, by which time Yamato had finished dinner and Natsuko had retired to her office.

"I'm home!"

Yamato finished the last of his homework and looked up just as Patamon flew into the room.

"How'd it go?"

"Everything's still looking good. There wasn't anything unusual in the Digital World, but we've told everyone to keep an eye out for trouble.

"Oikawa's life energy has done a lot to restore the Digital World," Takeru added. "You should visit again when you have time."

"Did you see Gabumon?"

Takeru look apologetic. "Not this time, sorry."

Yamato felt a pang of guilt. Between band practice and being in his final year of middle school, it had been a while since he'd managed to visit his friend. As if sensing his deteriorating mood, Takeru spoke again.

"We can let you know next time we're going if you'd like?"

"Yeah."

"Takeru, have you two had anything to eat?" Natsuko asked as she stepped out from her office.

"Miyako and Ken brought some food along, so we're fine thanks."

"All right, you three come in and help me out, then."

Yamato looked to his younger brother for an explanation, but Takeru merely smirked back, obviously enjoying that he understood what was happening more than his older brother. They began walking toward the office when Takeru stopped and whispered in Yamato's ear.

"You might want to put you books in my room first. Mom gets really angry if things are left out."

Yamato looked back at the pile of books strewn across the table. He silently communicated his thanks and went to put his books away. No reason to cause trouble this early into his stay (especially when he had no idea if or when he would go home).

When he finally reached the office, Yamato was surprised to find Takeru and Natsuko apparently deep in thought. Patamon sat on top of Takeru's head, concentrating intently on the screen.

"I'm telling you, Mom, it's A."

"Are you sure? I thought I remembered hearing C somewhere before…"

"What are you doing?" Yamato asked nervously, feeling a little out of place.

Takeru grinned at him. "News quiz."

"I need to keep up to date with even the obscure stories, so this gives me something to focus on."

"This means we finally have someone to break the deadlock if we disagree. Patamon doesn't like getting involved."

Yamato laughed. "I'm not sure I'll be much use."

Despite his comment, Yamato was good at the music and, surprisingly, the science and technology news. They ended up with a higher score than usual and Yamato resolved to keep a closer eye on the news in the future.

* * *

"I'm telling you, girls are crazy. She just can't take the hint."

Kai's friend on the other line offered a few words of sympathy, but couldn't think of a solution to his girl problem. He dodged around a couple walking along the same path as him before he found himself in a more secluded area of the park. He barely glanced at the view across the water to Tokyo, having seen it so many times before.

"Maybe Kyo would pretend to be my girlfriend for a bit, what d'ya think?"

He stopped, all of his concentration on his phone conversation.

"I don't _like_ her; she's just a friend!"

Kai laughed. "Yeah what- argh!"

He yanked the phone away from his ear as it emitted a high-pitched screech. He stared at his phone as the screen flashed several times before cutting out. The sound disappeared almost as suddenly as it had appeared. Kai frowned at the device.

"Don't tell me it's broken."

Kai stopped suddenly when he noticed the deathly silence around him. He couldn't hear a single person nearby and found himself glancing around in an attempt to find any sign of human life. He stopped and snorted at his own behaviour; there was nothing to be afraid of! With a roll of his eyes, Kai began making his way up one of the paths towards a more populated area when he saw a shadow move out of the corner of his eye.

He jumped around, glancing around wildly to see if he could catch a glimpse of whatever was out there, but he couldn't see anything unusual. Kai frowned, annoyed that he had gotten scared so easily. With one last look around, he turned back to his chosen route.

However, he couldn't let go of the feeling he was being watched. As he continued up the path (at a faster pace this time), he noticed a strange-looking woman standing in his way. He stopped in his tracks as she stepped out from the shadows.

* * *

Takeru woke up to the soft strumming of a guitar. It was finally Sunday and light was shining through his curtains. Takeru kept his eyes closed as his older brother lightly plucked the strings, transitioning fluidly from one song to the next. He could almost pretend their family was back together.

"Maybe you and Dad can stay here until he gets better."

The strumming ceased almost immediately.

"I'm not sure if that'll work out."

Takeru turned over to look at his older brother. He was staring down at his guitar, touching the strings, but not enough to hear any sound.

"Why not? You won't be able to take care of Dad on your own when he gets out."

Yamato finally looked up to meet Takeru's eyes.

"Takeru, you know they divorced for a reason, right?"

"That was ages ago! They get along so well now and it would only be until Dad gets better. Mom was really upset when she heard what happened."

Yamato looked at him sadly and stood up without a word. He placed his guitar on its stand in the corner and opened the door.

"I'm making breakfast. You want anything?"

"No thanks," Takeru sulked.

Yamato shut the door softly behind him. Patamon, who had been silently watching the exchange, came to sit on Takeru's head.

"It's gotta be hard for him."

Takeru fidgeted with the bedsheets, a scowl on his face.

"Why's that?"

"I mean, he never visits, right? We always go there. And suddenly he's living here, but it's not for good reasons."

Takeru held his arms out for Patamon to fly down. He then hugged his partner close.

When Takeru finally left his room, he walked into the smell of cooking. Yamato was sitting at the table reading a book and looking a little annoyed. Figuring Yamato was upset at him, Takeru moved towards the kitchen where his mother was frying some eggs.

"Smells good."

She smiled back at him. "Want some? It'll be ready in a minute." She turned enough so that Yamato was in her line of sight. "Yamato, could you set the table for me?"

He glanced at her blankly from his book and, with a sigh, put in a bookmark and walked into the kitchen. Hoping to put his brother in a better mood, Takeru offered to set the table as well.

"You can make sure your room is tidy. I want us to leave as soon as breakfast is over."

Takeru rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "OK."

By the time he came back in, Patamon resting on his head, his family were sat down at the table with breakfast laid out between them. Takeru could almost pretend Dad was just sitting in the office, tidying up the last of his work before coming in to join them. He sat down next to his brother across from the only empty seat. Patamon glided onto the table, in front of the extra bowl set out.

As they started eating, Patamon caught Takeru's eye. He glanced at Takeru's mother and older brother, who both seemed to be stubbornly concentrating on their food. Takeru frowned. Hadn't Yamato said he would cook this morning?

"So," he said, attempting to break the oppressive silence, "what's the plan for today?"

"Yamato can't stay on a futon forever, so I thought we would look for a bed."

"Is there enough space?"

"That's what we'll need to find out."

"It's only been a few days," Yamato interjected, not looking at either of them.

Takeru felt his heart sink. Something was definitely wrong. Their mother sighed audibly and Yamato tensed.

"We're just going to look. That way if you do stay longer we won't have to spend time rushing around."

Yamato gave her a look of displeasure, but didn't say anything further.

They ate the rest of their meal in silence and went shopping in silence. Takeru soon regretted leaving Patamon at home and made himself act twice as cheerful to try to make up for the tension between his mother and brother. When their mother suggested one bed, Yamato would quietly walk towards another. Takeru could only stand by as the silent battle of wills continued from shop to shop.

They were walking down one of the less busy streets when Yamato stopped. Both Takeru and his mother turned to look at him. Yamato pulled out his phone.

"Visiting hours are starting soon."

* * *

Yamato felt his feet drag the closer they got to his father's room. Takeru walked ahead, seemingly excited to visit Dad, even if he was unconscious in hospital. Natsuko somehow seemed to understand his slowly deteriorating mood and hadn't even tried to talk about his stubborn refusal earlier in the day.

They reached the ward his father had just been moved to and checked in at the nurses' station before visiting his room. There were three other occupants, all similarly unconscious, however his father was the only one with his head bandaged. Yamato stood at the entrance to the room while Takeru went to sit by Hiroaki's side. Natsuko hovered at the end of the bed, looking nervous.

It was the first time Yamato had seen him in nearly a week. Both had been so busy with their own lives in the preceding days that the only reason Yamato had known someone else occupied the house was the gradual disappearance of food and the increase in dirty dishes.

He wouldn't admit it to Natsuko or Takeru, but he couldn't remember the last time he physically saw his father.

Natsuko cleared her throat awkwardly. "I'm going to speak with the nurses."

She left before either boy could say anything to stop her. Yamato followed her out with his eyes, silently wishing he could follow her without looking like a coward. Instead, he focused his attention on Takeru as he spoke softly with their father, filling him in on everything they'd done since he had entered hospital. He didn't seem to mind that their father would most-likely not remember a word he said.

They stayed like that for what felt like forever – Takeru holding their father's hand and speaking words of reassurance while Yamato remained pinned to the wall like a coward. Finally, Natsuko stuck her head back in the room. She glanced between Takeru and Yamato and, noticing that Yamato hadn't moved since she'd left, softly called to Takeru.

"How about we let Yamato have a little time alone?"

Takeru looked from his mother to his older brother and Yamato braced himself against the wall to stop himself from fidgeting. He hated how Takeru smiled brightly at him and gave one last goodbye to their father before walking out with Natsuko. How could Takeru act mature and understanding while Yamato felt so twisted up inside?

Yamato concentrated on their retreating footsteps until they were lost in the general noises of the hospital. Finally, he looked directly at his father's body, appearing to sleep peacefully on his hospital bed. Yamato stayed where he was, watching from a distance the steady rise and fall of his father's chest in time with the machines that were keeping him alive.

When Yamato had stayed long enough that he figured his brother and Natsuko wouldn't question his arrival, he pushed himself off the wall. Yamato spared one last look at his father before he fled the room.

* * *

"Taichi!"

Taichi looked up to see Daisuke waving enthusiastically. They'd agreed to meet outside their apartments before the soccer game.

"Is Sora here yet?"

Daisuke shook his head, looking confused. "Not yet. Isn't she coming with Yamato?"

"Yamato and Takeru were going shopping with Ms Takaishi. I think they were going to stop by the hospital to visit Mr Ishida."

"Oh."

Taichi's attention turned to the entrance of Sora's apartment block, waiting for her to step through the gates.

"Hey, Taichi?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think I should do something – about Takeru, I mean."

"Like what?"

Someone pushed the gate open, but it wasn't Sora. Taichi tapped his foot in irritation before looking down at his phone. Where was she?

"I don't know," Daisuke responded with a shrug. "Comfort him? What's it like to have a father you barely see end up in hospital?"

Taichi paused and really looked at Daisuke, who fidgeted under his gaze. People always commented how similar they were to each other, but Taichi knew Daisuke was far more considerate than he had been at that age. For a moment, he forgot his agitation and focused solely on his protégé.

"How about doing an activity that he enjoys? Being in different schools means that you should put in the effort to see each other outside more often. Don't just meet up because of the Digital World."

Taichi hadn't meant to sound so wistful, but he'd rather Daisuke and his friends didn't make the same mistakes he and the others had. Sometimes Taichi worried that the Digital World was the only thing keeping them together.

"What're you guys still doing here? I said to go ahead without me."

Sora stopped in front of the boys, looking between them with curiosity. Frowning, Taichi looked at his digivice. He felt his heart stop.

"I'm gonna be late! Why didn't you say something?" he asked Daisuke.

Daisuke held up his hands. "I thought you knew what time it was."

Without another word, Taichi took off in a sprint, with Daisuke and Sora close behind him.

Yamato was already at the game by the time the three of them arrived. He seemed a little subdued, but Taichi figured that wasn't too surprising given the circumstances.

"I thought I was going to have to force myself to watch a soccer game on my own."

"I know soccer just isn't the same without me," Taichi retorted, slapping Yamato on the back as he walked past. "Now sit back and watch the perfect sports human in action."

"Where on Earth did he get that nickname?"

"Not sure," Sora said between deep breaths, "but whoever they are, they have a lot to answer for."

Daisuke grinned at the two older Chosen. "I think it sounds pretty cool!"

* * *

"Have a good day at school!"

The door closed and Natsuko was once again left with a peacefully quiet house. It had been nearly two weeks since Yamato had moved in and nothing about it had gone as smoothly as she would have liked. She couldn't understand why he still wanted to cook, when she could easily do that. Did he not like what she made?

The novelty of the boys living in the same house together was also quickly wearing off and being replaced with a need for space. If Yamato living with them was going to become long-term, then Natsuko knew she would need to find enough space for them all.

She did a final proofread of the article she wrote up last night, correcting any typos that she had previously missed, and sent the document to her boss. It was met with an almost instant reply.

 _"Check the hospitals in Odaiba. Someone seems to be trying to cover something up."_

Natsuko shut down her computer, her thoughts immediately going to Hiroaki. Was there something more to the situation than the doctors had implied? She thought of Yamato, who was finally beginning to open up to her, and felt horrible for wanting her ex-husband to stay in hospital just a little longer so she could get to know their eldest son better.

The journey to Rainbow Hospital wasn't long. Natsuko calmly walked up the path, past the hedgerows and the sound of a trickling fountain to the main entrance. As she stepped through the doors, Natsuko looked around the waiting room, but little seemed out of the ordinary. She glanced at the clock, noticing that visiting hours for Hiroaki's ward were open.

She walked down the increasingly familiar corridors to get to her ex-husband's room. Some patients she passed already had visiting families, while others sat in their rooms alone. Finally, she reached Hiroaki's room only to find an empty bed.

Natsuko felt as if her heart had just dropped into her stomach. She pulled out her mobile phone, wondering if she'd missed a call. Surely they'd tell her first if something had happened. Taking calming breaths, Natsuko looked around frantically for the nurse's station.

"Where's Hiroaki Ishida?" she asked, startling the nurse on duty.

The young woman looked shell-shocked, but one of her colleagues quickly recovered for her.

"Please calm down. Mr Ishida has been moved into another ward."

"Why?"

The nurses glanced at each other nervously and Natsuko suddenly remembered why she had originally come to the hospital.

"Can someone take me to see him?"

One of the nurses stood and beckoned Natsuko to follow. The two walked through several wards, making so many turns it sometimes felt as if they were turning back on themselves. Finally, the two women arrived in an area with a chamber ahead and what looked like a security guard standing at the entrance.

Without a word, the guard stepped aside to let them through. Natsuko put on the scrubs and face mask as instructed. Only when the nurse was satisfied, did she open the door leading away from the guard and into a new corridor.

Everyone was wearing scrubs from children to adults. Several had their faces pressed to the glass, staring at loved ones lying in bed. Natsuko glanced from one side to the next, wondering when she would see her ex-husband's face.

She froze when she finally saw him – head wrapped up from his fall and looking pale against the sheets. Natsuko went to take a step forward, but realised the nurse had not bothered to stop. She took one last look at Hiroaki and made her choice. There was little she could do for him by just staring forlornly through a window, but she could find answers.

It wasn't much further before they reached the floor's nurse station. The duty nurse looked from her colleague to Natsuko and gave a silent nod.

"Dr Chang is in his office."

The nurse showed her to the relevant room and knocked on the door. They waited for the affirmative sound from inside before the nurse opened the door and ushered Natsuko inside, closing it behind her.

Dr Chang sat pouring over what looked like detailed notes. As his name suggested, he was ethnically Chinese. Dark rimmed glasses framed his eyes and his jet black hair was cut short. After a moment, he sorted the notes back into a pile and turned to face Natsuko.

"Please have a seat, Mrs…"

" _Ms_ Takaishi," she corrected.

He frowned at the name and looked through his records. "We don't have anyone by the name of Takaishi here."

"My former husband is Hiroaki Ishida. I'm here on behalf of my son."

Dr Chang eyed her suspiciously, but Natsuko was used to remaining calm under pressure. She knew Yamato would be angry with her for using him to get information, but Natsuko wasn't doing this solely to get an exclusive article.

"Is there anything you can tell me?"

"You're a reporter, aren't you?"

"Yes I am, but that's not the primary reason I'm here," Natsuko insisted. "Please, what might have caused this?"

Dr Chang sighed and removed his glasses in order massage the bridge of his nose. Slowly he replaced them, taking a moment to finally begin speaking.

"Honestly, we're not sure what we're dealing with. The quarantine is likely to be unnecessary, but until we have some idea what's causing this, we hope that it will help to put the public's mind at ease _when_ news finally gets out," he said, giving Natsuko a pointed look.

"How many hospitals are affected?"

"From what we can assume, almost all the cases have been within Odiaba, with only a handful in other prefectures. Although, it has been difficult to properly diagnose the patients."

"And why's that?" Natsuko asked, bringing out a pad of paper.

Dr Chang glanced at the pad, but no longer seemed bothered that Natsuko was beginning to take notes. "Some, like your ex-husband, have all the symptoms of a heart attack. Others appear to have collapsed from exhaustion, despite friends and family reporting they seemed fine only a few hours before. Also, most of the victims are young and healthy with only a tiny number having underlying health issues. In other words, it goes against almost every virus I know of."

"What do _you_ think it is?"

Dr Chang sighed. "Don't put this on record, but I think someone is attacking these people. If the victims had been stabbed or showed some signs out outer distress, the police would have come to that conclusion already."

"What kind of weapon could cause distress on the inner organs without causing any outward damage?"

Dr Chang looked at her over the rims of his glasses. "Now you understand why none of our hypotheses make sense."

Natsuko wrote down the last of her notes and stood up when she realised he had nothing more to tell her. "Thank you for all your help, Dr Chang. Is it possible to obtain a list of victims?"

Dr Chang stood up as well. "You'll need to speak with the public relations team. I can have one of the nurses take you there."

"I would appreciate that."

As she turned to leave, Dr Chang stopped her.

"Please don't report any of what we've spoken about. I don't want to lose my job."

"I told you, I came here mainly for my son. I'll only report what your public relations team tells me; although, I may use the _rumours_ I've heard here to press for more information."

Dr Chang nodded, seemingly satisfied with her answer. "Until your next visit, Ms Takaishi."

"Thank you for meeting with me Dr Chang. You have been very helpful."

She left with a final bow of thanks, before heading directly to the public relations section of the hospital.

* * *

Takeru tapped his pen rapidly against the paper in agitation. His assignment was due tomorrow and he couldn't concentrate! He stood up, sliding his chair backwards, and marched over to his bedroom. He wrenched the door open.

"Would you stop it?"

Immediately, Yamato stopped plucking at his bass and looked up.

"What's wrong?"

"It's very difficult to concentrate when you're playing the same notes over and over again."

"We've got an event we're playing at in a few weeks, so I need to make sure I remember all the songs."

"Well, I've got homework to finish by _tomorrow_ , which is more important than your band sounding good."

Yamato scoffed at him, standing up to put his bass away carefully.

"Maybe if you hadn't left it to the last minute, you wouldn't be so stressed."

Takeru glared at his older brother, but knew he had a point. It was bad, he knew, but Takeru didn't work well until it was close to the deadline.

"Can't you find somewhere else to practice for tonight?"

Yamato packed up his equipment and slung his bass over his shoulder.

"As a matter of fact I can, but next time let me know in advance so I'm not wasting my time."

He walked out the door and the house was finally silent.

The essay was much easier to finish once Yamato had gone. Mom still hadn't come back from whatever she was investigating, so Takeru had the apartment to himself. After proofreading it one last time, Takeru printed out his essay and put it in his bag, before flopping down onto his bed. Patamon followed him, curling up on Takeru's chest when he finally settled down. He made a satisfied hum as Takeru idly stroked his long bat-like ears.

"I thought it would be easier than this."

Takeru felt Patamon shift a little on his chest.

"What would?"

"Yamato living here."

Patamon was the only one who had seen Takeru's deepest desire when BelialVamdemon put the Chosen Children under his spell.

"Remember the Digital World? You two fought then."

"Yeah, but that's because I was just a little kid. We're both teenagers now."

Takeru looked out towards his window.

"Only kids are allowed to fight."

* * *

Yamato turned the key in the lock and slowly pushed the front door open, careful to make as little sound as possible. He had found a secluded park and gone through the notes on his own until it was nearly dark. He paused and turned a little when he heard footsteps behind him.

Natsuko stopped in her tracks, her surprise evident, but silently stepped through the door and took off her shoes. She glanced at the bass slung over his back, but said nothing.

Yamato watched with curiosity as Natsuko put her coat away and then picked up her bag, which was filled with papers, placing it in her office. Yamato quietly put his bass in Takeru's room and carefully closed the door so not to disturb his brother's sleep. He listened as Natsuko unpacked her bag. Whether it was due to pride or nervousness, Yamato couldn't bring himself to ask her why she was late. Instead, he walked into the office and leaned against the doorframe, hoping that she would initiate the conversation.

"I visited the hospital today. Hir… your _father_ was moved to a quarantine ward. Apparently, there have been several cases recently of lone pedestrians collapsing late at night. Doctors are concerned it might be a new virus, but currently don't have enough evidence to be certain."

Natsuko finally pulled her laptop out and set it next to the computer. Yamato took a deep breath.

"Is it just Rainbow Hospital?"

"Several victims have been brought to hospitals around Odaiba and the surrounding area. I believe that's why they were initially working on the assumption it was caused by a virus."

"Wouldn't a virus have a source point?"

"Potentially. I think that's what the investigators are now trying to find." Natsuko tapped a large stack of papers. "The hospital was kind enough to release the names of all the victims. Maybe knowing a bit more information about them will help us learn something about the cause…" she trailed off just as her stomach rumbled.

Yamato looked at her, keeping his expression deliberately blank. Slowly her cheeks began turning pink.

"I'll make dinner."

Natsuko stood up in protest, but he cut her off with a sharp look, his knuckles gripping the doorframe so hard they turned white.

"We need to figure out what's going on, and you know what you're doing."

* * *

Natsuko slowly sat down again as Yamato disappeared from the door. A little nervous what her son would make, she tried to put that thought to the back of her mind as she gathered her list of victims and began her research. Since there were few leads, she aimed to find as much information as she could about each patient.

The strong smell of food brought Natsuko from her research trance. She looked up at the clock only to see that forty-five minutes had passed. Yamato placed the bowl of steaming hot food on the edge of her desk, making sure she noticed it before letting go. He then grabbed a chair with his now-free hand and sat down next to her with his food.

Natsuko remembered her husband's cooking from when they were students. The fact that Yamato's cooking looked edible was a surprise in itself. It wasn't that she didn't trust her son, but he hadn't had the best of teachers.

She brought the first mouthful to her lips and paused to glance at her son from the corner of her eye. He was ignoring her completely, instead focusing on his food as he read through the notes Natsuko had left out. Steeling herself, Natsuko took a bite.

"Too salty?"

Yamato hadn't even turned to look at her, but had somehow seen a reaction. Natsuko blinked in confusion. His words took a moment to catch up with her and she caught herself making a funny face.

"Oh! No, not at all," she insisted. "This is very good."

Yamato looked at her out of the corner of his eye with a dubious expression.

"You don't have to pretend you like it."

"I do, it's just –" Natsuko blushed. "I'm surprised how good it tastes."

Yamato sighed. "Didn't think a workaholic and his son could eat well?"

Guilt felt like a weight in her stomach. "That's not what I…"

"Don't worry, almost everyone thinks that about us."

Natsuko didn't want to be like everyone else. Takeru had mentioned having dinner with their father, but she had always assumed they'd had take-out or gone to a restaurant. She wondered how Hiroaki had managed to raise a son who was so much better than him at cooking.

"I'm sorry."

Yamato shrugged. "It's fine."

He moved his now empty bowl back onto the tray and picked up the paper he had been reading.

"How much information do you have so far?"

Natsuko knew her words had hurt him, but couldn't think of a way to make things better, so she decided to put those thoughts aside and work on the case. She turned her laptop screen towards him.

"Here is what the hospital's press team has released," she said, handing him a piece of paper. "I managed to get a little information from some of my contacts about a number of the victims: their ages, where they collapsed, etc. I'm not sure how useful any of it is, though."

Yamato sat back with the papers in one hand and held his bowl in the other. As he continued to read, he seemed to relax more. A thoughtful expression crossed his face. Natsuko caught herself staring.

"You remind me of your father right now."

Yamato sucked in a breath, but didn't say anything. Despite her better judgement, Natsuko found herself continuing to speak.

"He's always been good at looking into the fine detail. Of course, he'd get so wrapped up in pursuing a lead that he'd forget about the rest of his job, or that it was his turn to cook…"

Natsuko was so focused on her memories of Hiroaki that she almost forgot Yamato was listening next to her.

"I think the part I hated most about our divorce was watching those traits I once admired become the things I despised him for."

Yamato let the silence hang for a moment before speaking.

"Whenever we were out together, people would always ask who my mother was. I can't remember anyone comparing me to him."

"It's human nature to focus on someone's differences. They'll always focus on what makes you foreign to them rather than who you are."

Slowly, Yamato turned back to his reading and Natsuko found herself watching him a moment longer before returning to her own work. The two read documents in silence, with Natsuko highlighting and making notes where appropriate.

"I haven't reached the end of the list, but did all the victims collapse alone?" He leafed through the pages as Natsuko stared. "It seems a little strange no one has shown any symptoms before collapsing and then found alone…"

Yamato handed the documents over to Natsuko, who hastily flipped through them to confirm Yamato's statement. None of them collapsed near any witnesses and every one was found in a public location.

Yamato snorted softly. "I know that look."

Natsuko shook herself out of her daze just as Yamato was picking up the now-empty bowls.

"Dad would get it too. You're on to something."

"I might be," she said diplomatically.

He stacked the bowls together and smiled at her. "I'll leave you to it, then."

"Thank you, Yamato."

He paused for a moment before he closed the door behind him.

With new vigour, Natsuko began making notes. When she finally summarised the information in an easy-to-read format, she sent it to her editor along with the supplementary materials as evidence. Before she logged off her computer, Natsuko received a message from him telling her to run with the story.

* * *

Naomi wasn't sure why she had bothered to stay late. She knew the company didn't take her seriously and working a few longer hours wasn't going to change their minds. As she stepped away from the busy streets, the sound of her clipped walk was the only thing that could be heard.

She stopped at the entrance to the street that she walked down every night. Every light was out, with only a thin sliver of a moon above lighting the sky. Naomi paused, wondering if she should take a longer route home. The pain on the backs of her heels made her decision – walking around would tear up her feet even worse than they already were.

She resumed her journey, pulling out her phone just in case. Only the sound of her footsteps filled the street as she continued to walk. Naomi pulled her shoulders back to make herself more confident, so that she looked less of an easy target.

Suddenly, her phone screeched. Naomi looked down just as the screen went blank. A light that had been off, flickered on again briefly before dying out. Naomi quickly turned to look back the way she had come, her heart hammered inside her chest. It wouldn't be far to run back.

A shadow moved out of the corner of her eye and Naomi looked around wildly. Just as she was about to run away, the condition of her feet be damned, she spotted the figure of a woman.

She was framed by the streetlights that were on further up the road. Naomi couldn't see the woman very well from afar, but she looked beautiful with a long dress and dark hair elegantly tied up. Naomi felt a wave of relief wash over her.

"Mind if we walk together? This street is a little creepy."

The woman turned at the sound of Naomi's voice and beckoned her over.

* * *

Yamato waved goodbye to Taichi and Sora as he stepped into class. He shoved his hands in his pockets and gave one or two friendly nods to those who made eye contact with him. He sat down at his desk and stifled a yawn, still tired from the previous night.

"So they're saying it's _not_ a virus?"

"The media can't make up its mind what's wrong with these people. Just don't believe any of it!"

"Did you read the article properly? It suggested no one has a clue what's wrong – only ideas."

Yamato stood up, his chair scraping against the floor, and walked over to the group. One of the students saw him coming over and placed an arm over the article to cover it.

"Hey, Yamato."

"So what's the latest story the media have come up with?"

Several of the students glanced at each other nervously. Slowly one slid the article from under her classmate's arm and held it out for Yamato to see.

"There's a bunch of different theories going on, but this article puts them all together and gives a good idea which are the most likely. It's a bit of a relief that it's unlikely to be contagious."

Yamato went to read the article, but froze when he saw his mother's name at the top. His fingers crinkled the paper as his knuckles turned white. Seeing his agitation, the girl firmly yanked it away from him with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"Sorry, it was a bit insensitive of us to discuss this in front of you."

"Forget about it."

Yamato turned away before they could say anything else, his hair shielding his eyes from view. He sat down back at his seat and stared straight ahead until the end of class.

* * *

The whistle blew loudly, echoing around the gymnasium. At once, the two central players jumped up, both trying to get to the ball first. The crowd around Iori roared, cheering for their preferred team. However, Iori continued to sit with Upamon on his lap, unable to see anything until those in front of him had sat down again.

* * *

 _Iori watched Takeru chatting to a couple of girls from his class. They seemed to be talking about the upcoming game, offering Takeru encouraging words. Upamon glanced up at Iori before finally speaking._

 _"Aren't you gonna go talk to him?"_

 _"In a minute."_

 _The girls began walking away, waving to Takeru as they went. Seeing his chance, Iori stood up and walked quickly over to his jogress partner._

 _"Oh, hey Iori," Takeru greeted. "Is Patamon with you?"_

 _"Last time we saw him was in the computer room," Upamon responded before Iori could form a reply._

 _However, Takeru didn't seem bothered by his answer. Instead, he focused his attention on Iori._

 _"You wanted to speak with me about something?"_

 _"I… I was curious as to how you were coping."_

 _"Can't say I feel much pressure. We've been practicing hard, so as long as we put in our best effort, I don't really care about the outcome."_

 _"I meant with Yamato living with you."_

 _Takeru sighed, but didn't seem upset, merely resigned. "I guess I can't avoid the subject with you, huh?"_

 _"You should talk to someone, even if it's not me."_

 _"Ichijouji emailed me and offered the same thing. We're doing fine. It's not like this is a long-term arrangement."_

 _"Has there been any update on your father's condition?"_

 _Takeru shook his head and began walking towards the gymnasium. Iori followed._

 _"Not really. I think they're still trying to figure out what's wrong with him."_

 _Suddenly Takeru stopped in his tracks._

 _"It's never big things that annoy me. He'll leave a shirt lying on the floor, forget to tidy something away or play music at annoying hours. There such stupid things to get upset about, especially since we're finally living together again… but I just can't help myself."_

 _"Have you talked to him about it?"_

 _Takeru sighed. "Not yet. I keep putting it off, hoping he'll initiate the conversation. After all, I know there are things I'm doing that get on his nerves as well."_

 _"You shouldn't wait too long. I doubt Yamato will say anything unless he's upset, so you should both talk about it before then."_

 _Takeru chuckled. "How can you be so mature about this?"_

 _Iori shared a smile with him. "It's easier for an outsider to remain objective in these situations."_

 _"Well, I'm glad to have you then."_

* * *

Shoes screeched along the court as the players made quick turns. Suddenly, Takeru knocked the ball out of his opponent's hands and straight towards his teammate. The crowd cheered and Iori smiled as Takeru and his team ran down the other end of the court and scored easily, taking them into the lead.

"Why do the players keep bouncing the ball?"

Iori hushed Upamon, but not before the person next to him sent them a funny look. Iori kept his eyes on the court, trying not to blush from embarrassment. When the attention moved away from him, Iori bent down so he was as close to Upamon without touching him.

"It's part of the rules. You can only hold the ball for a limited number of steps, so players have to bounce it in order to get to the other end of the court. If you stop, you have to pass the ball before you can go anywhere."

"That sounds like a lot of rules. I like kendo more."

Iori chuckled at his partner, glad Upamon appreciated kendo over basketball. Iori sat up when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye.

Miyako was waving to him enthusiastically with Yamato standing behind her, hands in his pockets. The two slowly made their way over, squeezing themselves into the bleachers. Fortunately, Iori had left them some space.

Yamato leaned in between Iori and Miyako as she released Poromon from her bag. "Who's winning?"

"We're ahead by four points," Iori replied just before the other team scored.

They sat watching the game, which became tenser by the minute as the two teams traded points, neither pulling ahead more than six from the other. There were several times when Miyako and Iori had to grab their digimon when they got too excited.

Takeru was a good leader for the team, shouting out orders and providing encouraging words whether they did well or badly on a point. As they reached the final minute, sweat was pouring down his forehead, causing his hair to stick to his skin. The whistle blew for a time out with both teams tied and thirty seconds remaining while the other team had possession. Both teams huddled together.

"Ah! This is way too intense!" Miyako said, squeezing Poromon between her hands.

Iori and Upamon winced at Poromon's treatment, but Yamato wasn't paying attention, instead focusing on his younger brother who was speaking with the coach. The whistle blew to signal the end of the timeout and the players returned to the court.

They quickly resumed play and the other team did their best to wind down the clock. Takeru and the rest of the defence kept up the pressure, so that no one behind the three-point line seemed to feel comfortable taking the shot. With only a few seconds to go on the shot clock, one of the opposing players finally made a drive for the basket, scoring an easy two points just before the buzzer. Twelve seconds remaining.

Another timeout was called and the kids all huddled together. The audience was on the edge of their seats. Iori held Upamon tightly in his lap, while Miyako was much more vocal in her support, shouting for Takeru to win. Several girls in the audience echoed her words of encouragement directed towards Takeru.

At the sound of his name, Takeru looked towards Miyako and noticed his brother sitting behind her. He nodded grimly before getting into position. The whistle blew once more.

The defence was strong from the start. They were keen to force an error before the home team could even get close to the basket. However, Takeru and the others were prepared for it and as the clock quickly wound down, one of the players finally passed Takeru the ball.

Takeru, the star player of the match, went straight for the basket, only to be stopped by two defenders. Everyone held their breath as Takeru crouched down to take the shot for two points… only to bounce it behind him to his teammate who had been left unguarded. His teammate quickly jumped up for the shot, which ricocheted a little around the rim before falling through the net. The buzzer sounded as it fell through. The three point shot was enough to get them the victory they needed. The audience erupted in cheers.

* * *

"That was awesome! You guys were really amazing back there."

Takeru laughed. "Yeah, for a time I was a little worried our plan wouldn't work, but I guess they had to try to stop me because my shooting record was the best in the game."

"Are you sure you didn't want to celebrate with the team?" asked Iori.

"I can do that when we win the championships. Right now, I'd rather hang out with you guys."

Miyako grinned. "Aww does that mean you'll be treating us?"

"I thought it was supposed to be the other way around!"

"Takeru," Patamon called from the top of his partner's head, "I'm hungry."

Yamato walked silently behind them, his hands in his pockets. At Takeru's outburst he stopped in his tracks. The younger three stopped and turned around.

"Do you want ice cream?"

"Ice cream!" the digimon shouted.

* * *

Yamato closed the door softly behind him as Takeru announced their presence to their mother and Patamon immediately flew towards the kitchen. Takeru took off his hat and then laid his shoes neatly next to the others. It was a stark contrast to the mess of shoes that would normally greet Yamato when he arrived back home, that is, if there were any shoes at all. He shook the sobering thoughts from his mind and put his hand on Takeru's head – he immediately withdrew it in disgust.

"You need a shower."

Takeru swiped at Yamato's arm. "I _told_ you the showers were broken. _You're_ the one who forgot."

"What'll Mom say when she sees you dripping sweat on her tidy floor?"

Takeru rolled his eyes and grabbed his gym bag, which had all his toiletries in it. He gave Yamato a pointed look as he stepped into the bathroom and kept eye contact until he shut the door. Yamato chuckled at his behaviour, but sobered the moment he saw his mother working in her office. With one guilty glance towards the shower room, Yamato walked purposefully into Natsuko's office.

Natsuko was sitting at her computer typing out another article. She looked up from her work when Yamato stepped in, slowly closing the door behind him.

"How was school today?"

Her smile slowly disappeared when she noticed how serious Yamato seemed with his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned against the doorframe.

"Is something wrong?"

"I read the article you wrote."

Natsuko froze the moment she heard the steel in his voice.

"Did you visit the hospital to see Dad or just so you could play the part of the distressed relative in order to get a story?"

"Yamato…"

"It isn't a difficult question."

"I received a tip-off about a quarantine ward in the hospital. I decided to visit your father at the same time. I had no idea he was one of the victims until I got there."

"So you were there for work," Yamato summarised curtly.

"I was there for both! I wanted to check on him, which is why I visited that hospital rather than any of the others. When I found out he had been moved into quarantine, I asked one of the doctors for information."

Yamato snorted, his tone derisive.

Natsuko stood up quickly, feeling angry and defensive. "Is it so hard for you to believe I was concerned for your father while also doing my job?"

"Could you have gotten that information without Dad being there?" he asked, ignoring her question.

"Everything I published was information freely available to any journalist asking the right questions. Why is it so difficult for you to accept I'm actually concerned about you and your father?"

" _Why_? Because it's not like you did anything last time."

Natsuko's mouth opened and closed again, but no sound escaped. Yamato watched with bitter satisfaction as the realisation dawned on her face. He turned away, having seen enough.

He wasn't naïve like Takeru; he didn't hold any hope that his parents would get back together. Yamato stormed into Takeru's bedroom, making straight for the desk, and started yanking out his science homework from his school bag. He angrily swiped away tears before they fell. No, he wasn't naïve enough to think his parents would ever get back together…

…but he had somehow hoped they could at least care about each other again.

* * *

"Miyako, do you mind stopping by my apartment with me? That computer is faulty again."

Miyako finished off her ice cream with a satisfied smile. "Again? Maybe you should think about getting a new one."

"I'm not sure we can afford one right now. Unfortunately, it's not a high priority."

Miyako's face fell and she stared at Iori sympathetically. "My sister has an old computer I think she wants to replace. I'll have a look at it and see if I can fix it up for you. In the meantime, let's see what I can do about that old thing."

Miyako waved enthusiastically to Iori's mother as they walked past the kitchen and into the computer room. Iori picked up the phone to dial Miyako's family to let them know she would be staying at his house for dinner, while Miyako turned on the computer. Poromon and Upamon jumped up onto the bed and began playing around.

Iori returned just as Miyako began taking out an emergency pack from her school bag. She turned off the computer again (which wasn't responding anyway) and disconnected it from the power.

"I think you're the only person I know who carries a soldering iron in her bag."

Miyako grinned. "Hey, it comes in handy. You know the number of things I've been able to fix with this at school?"

Iori sat down, quietly watching Miyako work. He admired the way she was able to take things apart and put them back together even better than she found them. His mother dropped in with drinks to let them know dinner would be ready in a few minutes.

"Are you enjoying middle school?"

Miyako tugged at one of the connections and, noticing it was loose, began soldering the wire more securely. She gave it another gentle tug after it had cooled and smiled, happy with her work.

"I like it a lot in some ways. I hadn't realised how much I'd stopped socialising with my classmates since our adventures in the Digital World started, so I'm glad to be mending some of those bonds." She paused for a moment to look over her shoulder at him. "How about you? Have you managed to make any friends your age?"

"You sound like my mother," Iori grumbled softly. "There's a new girl in our class who I get along with. She's popular with everyone so I have a group of friends I enjoy being with. You don't need to worry."

"Glad to hear it."

Mrs Hida popped her head into the office. "Dinner's ready you two."

Miyako put the case back on. "We'll test it after dinner, but hopefully I can breathe a little life into it."

* * *

Yamato sat at Takeru's desk, headphones covering his ears and playing classical music. As he worked through the next Physics question, Yamato could almost pretend he was back at home, waiting for Dad to return from work. Through the music, he heard his younger brother shouting at him. Yamato removed his headphones to indicate he was listening.

"Dinner's ready."

Yamato stared at his paper, willing himself back to his old room. However, it was no use; the spell had already been broken.

"I'll be there when I'm finished."

"Mom says you have a minute."

Yamato gripped his pencil tight with frustration. There was no point continuing to work since the rest of the problems would take him at least twenty minutes. Once Takeru had left, Yamato stood up angrily, pushing back the chair so it scraped against the floor. He stood there for a moment, taking deep breaths to calm himself down.

He told himself he missed the days when he didn't have to follow anyone else's schedule, but there was more to his annoyance than being forced to eat dinner at an inconvenient time.

* * *

 **Please let me know what you think. Part 3 will be released in a few days time.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you for all the lovely reviews, they really have made my day!  
**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 3_**

"How's the old man doing?"

Yamato didn't pause from tuning his guitar, making Akira wonder if he'd even heard Yutaka's question. The three band members glanced at each other, all similarly worried.

"There hasn't been much change," Yamato finally said. "They suspect he might have the same illness that caused those others to collapse recently."

"So what does that mean?" Takashi asked gently.

Yamato shrugged. He twanged one of the strings and, seemingly satisfied with the note, moved on to the next string.

"They've put him in quarantine with the other patients so we can't visit him anymore."

"Do you want to put the band on hold for a bit?" Yutaka asked. "We'd completely understand."

Yamato continued to stare at his guitar. At first, Akira thought he wasn't going to say anything and when he finally spoke it was much softer than any of the band members were used to hearing from their frontman.

"Music's always been my distraction." A wry smile crept onto his face as he looked at each of them. "Don't think you're getting out of practice that easily."

Bolstered by his words, Akira and the others finished setting up for practice. They sounded better than usual and when they all parted ways Takashi promised he'd look around for a new gig they could play at.

* * *

Yamato kept the smile on his face even as he turned away from the others. It wasn't until they were completely out of sight that he finally relaxed, his shoulders slouching with the weight of his guitar. He'd enjoyed practice with them, but now the thought of going home to Natsuko and Takeru filled him with dread. He shifted his weight a little so he could pull out his D-Terminal and typed out an email to Taichi.

 _Can you do me a favour?_

He stared at the screen for a few moments before a reply popped up.

 _Whadya need?_

He took a breath, knowing he'd be asking Taichi and his family for a lot.

 _Can you pretend I'm staying with you tonight?_

Yamato held his breath, waiting much longer for Taichi's next reply.

 _Where're you staying?_

 _At home. I just need a night to myself._

When Taichi didn't reply instantly he sent another email.

 _Please._

He waited a little longer, but when he didn't receive a reply, Yamato started walking. He dragged his feet along the familiar route and found himself standing in front of the apartment complex he and his father had lived in. He looked up where he knew his apartment was when his D-Terminal buzzed.

 _Hikari's happy to cover for you, but she says you need to talk to your mom and Takeru if something's wrong._

Yamato breathed a sigh of relief and walked up the stairs to his apartment. He put the key in the lock and twisted it sharply. A wave of fatigue washed over him as he stepped into the doorway.

The apartment was just as he left it the day Sora and Taichi had helped him move his stuff to Takeru's. He and his father had been out most of the week with dirty dishes piling up and clothes draped over chairs. At least Taichi had been kind enough to wash all but the worst stained dishes, which he'd left to sit in water.

Yamato walked into his room and placed his guitar on the bed. It was in a similar state to the main room, with drawers left partially open and clothes sticking out from when he'd quickly sorted through them. With a sigh, Yamato pulled everything out of each drawer and started folding his clothes properly before replacing them. He cleaned off the surfaces and placed all his books and memorabilia neatly on their shelves.

"A little late to be cleaning, especially on a school night."

Yamato jumped, but quickly recovered, turning around with fists ready. Taichi raised an eyebrow at his behaviour as he leaned against the doorframe to Yamato's room. Slowly, Yamato relaxed his hands and turned back to the task he'd set himself.

"You left the door open," Taichi said, answering the question Yamato hadn't bothered to ask.

Yamato finished his task silently, aware that Taichi was watching his every movement. He probably took longer than he would have if he'd been alone, but Yamato wanted to see if Taichi would give in before he finished. Yamato turned around – Taichi was still standing at the door.

"I know we're friends, but when I say 'by myself' I usually mean that I want to be alone," he said as he walked past Taichi into the main living area.

Taichi turned to watch Yamato, but didn't follow him.

"You asked my family to cover for you."

Yamato's stomach twisted with guilt. He picked up the clothes that were lying around as a distraction.

"Thank you."

He heard Taichi's sigh. "I didn't come over here for your thanks. I wanted to make sure you were OK."

"I'm fine."

Taichi snorted. "Is that why you're hiding away from your family?"

"I'm not hiding," Yamato insisted a little too sharply.

When Taichi said nothing, Yamato released a slow breath. "I'm used to my own space, doing things in my own time – I never realised how much I relied on coming back to an empty apartment.

"I hate that Takeru and I are getting on each other's nerves so easily." He didn't mention the article his mother had published – Taichi wouldn't understand.

"Why?"

Yamato's head whipped around to face Taichi. His friend was staring back as if he had just asked a genuine question rather than something completely ridiculous.

"You're brothers who haven't lived with each other for years. It doesn't mean you'll stop loving each other – I mean, Hikari still likes me despite everything."

"That's because your sister's a saint."

Taichi pouted at him, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You weren't supposed to agree so easily."

Slowly, Yamato cracked a smile and Taichi laughed. Almost without thinking, Yamato put the clothes in a pile and opened the fridge. Several items had been close to or just past their sell by date when his father had ended up in hospital. A couple weeks on their own had only made them worse. The leftovers he'd made the night his father was hospitalised sat in the middle, already growing mould. Taichi came up behind him and whistled at the contents.

"I should clear this out."

Taichi slapped him on the back.

"We'd better get to work, then; that is, if we want any sleep tonight."

"You don't have to help me, Taichi."

"What kind of friend would I be if I left you to deal with this on your own?"

Yamato swallowed a lump in his throat. "Thank you."

"You said that already," Taichi replied easily.

"Yeah, well maybe I think it deserves to be said more than once."

* * *

"How's Yamato doing?"

Taichi closed the door to his family apartment softly and took off his shoes.

"Shouldn't you be in bed by now?"

Hikari leaned against the doorframe to her room, Tailmon curled up in her arms. "I was worried."

"Yamato's fine. I left him to sleep at his apartment." He paused at the door to his room and glanced at them. "You're not going to tell Takeru, are you?"

Hikari shook her head, but otherwise didn't move. Once he realised she wasn't going anywhere, Taichi sighed.

" _Fine_."

Hikari grinned and practically skipped after him. Taichi fell back on his bed and Hikari sat down next to him.

"You're worried about him."

"Of course I'm worried about him," Taichi replied. "His dad's in hospital and he isn't exactly known for making rational decisions when people he cares about are in danger."

"Isn't that one of the reasons you're fusion partners?"

"I'm gonna pretend you didn't just say that."

"It's like that time in the Digital World against the Dark Masters. Shouldn't you just give him some space to sort himself out?" Tailmon asked while curled up on Hikari's lap.

"Yes and no. I agree Yamato needs time to think things through rationally, but this isn't the same as him doubting himself." Taichi paused, thinking back to what Yamato confessed after they began tidying up. "I don't think he knows whether he can trust his mother to look after his best interests."

"But Ms Takaishi has helped us so much!"

"Hey, you don't have to tell me!" Taichi held up his hands, feeling a little defensive. He paused long enough to gather his thoughts properly. "Yamato found out she published an article about a group of victims who have been quarantined – one of the victims being his father.

"I think Yamato wants to trust that Ms Takaishi was concerned for Mr Ishida, but given what he's hinted to me about the months before and after the divorce, I can understand why he's reluctant to trust her."

Hikari listened intently, stroking Tailmon's ears with a thoughtful expression.

"That's why I think he needed some space. Yamato's tearing himself up inside debating whether he should trust his mother again and I don't think he feels anyone can help him."

"Maybe we should find Gabumon."

Taichi and Hikari looked at Tailmon, who cracked an eye open when they didn't respond.

"Gabumon has never judged him for his actions and will always support him. Isn't that what Yamato needs right now?"

"It might help," said Hikari. She glanced up at her brother for his opinion.

Taichi nodded. "Next time you go to the Digital World, see if you can find him."

Hikari nodded enthusiastically, but then had to stifle a yawn. She stretched and picked up Tailmon from her lap.

"We'll see you in the morning."

Taichi waved at them, feeling tired himself.

"Goodnight."

* * *

The younger Chosen had left the elementary school computer room hours ago, but Koushiro was still working. The gate was still sealed, but he'd already started noticing cracks. The D-3s seemed to be influencing the gate again, even if the Digital World still couldn't be accessed from the computer room.

An alert beeped and Koushiro glanced at his laptop with a frown. It had been happening more and more – ever since the strange glitch a few weeks ago. Each blip was a fluctuation in the power grid. Koushiro still kept his digimon detection program running despite BlackWarGreymon's seal in place, but he had thought they were just regular man-made blackouts.

His eyes on the newest blip, Koushiro pulled up all the information he'd kept for the last month. He coloured each week differently, noting the day the first massive glitch had happened. The dots were spread out through Odaiba and the surrounding area. The number of blackouts seemed to be increasing with each week. He decided to try and break down the data further. Someone walked into the room and peered over his shoulder.

"What'cha doin'?"

"Mapping out every blackout and surge that I've managed to record in Odaiba over the last few weeks."

"You think it's a digimon?"

"I'm not sure yet…"

The conversation finally caught up with Koushiro and he turned around wide-eyed to see Mimi standing behind his chair with a backpack in one hand and a suitcase in the other. She grinned at him.

"Did you miss me?"

"Why… when did you get here?" Koushiro exclaimed.

Mimi laughed off his surprise.

"It's the school holidays in America, so I thought I'd come visit."

Koushiro sighed and turned back to his work. Only Mimi would come all the way to Japan on a whim.

"Do you think it's just one digimon?"

"I don't know," Koushiro admitted. "It could be a sign that BlackWarGreymon's seal is finally weakening, but it isn't as if we have anything to compare it to."

After a time, Koushiro glanced at Mimi, who was staring at his screen in deep concentration. Despite her cheerful entrance, she appeared tired. He turned back to the computer.

"Where are you staying?"

"Umm…"

His head snapped towards her, his eyes wide.

"Don't tell me you came here without anywhere to stay!"

Mimi laughed. "Don't worry about it! I've got plenty of friends in the city. I'll find somewhere."

Koushiro gave her a look and pulled out his D3. "I'm messaging Sora."

Mimi rolled her eyes good-naturedly, but didn't stop him.

* * *

"…and he plays his music all the time, it's so annoying!" He frowned when he realised Hikari had her hand over her mouth to hide her giggles. "What's so funny?"

"You know that's how siblings are, right?"

"You and Taichi get along well."

Hikari rolled her eyes. "Only when he's not dragging me to another soccer match because Sora won't go with him or 'accidentally forgetting' to do his chores so Mom and Dad make me do them or chasing off any potential boyfriends…"

"There's someone you like?"

She gave him a look that showed how unimpressed she was by his question.

"My point is that there are plenty of things Taichi does that annoy me and I know I do things to annoy him as well. Our parents didn't give us separate rooms just because we hit puberty."

"You and Yamato have lived in separate houses for longer than you lived together. You'll have to get used to all your bad habits and take advantage of the good ones. I can tell you, having an older sibling is great when you've got homework and _your_ brother even gets good grades."

"That's if your sibling agrees to help you," Daisuke interrupted, slouching down on a free chair. "Jun always said I had to learn it on my own because she didn't get any help."

Hikari rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

"How about you come over for a night or something? Hikari and Miyako can stay in my sister's room and the rest of us can fit in my room."

"How's that going to help my relationship with my brother?"

"It'll give you guys a break from each other. It can't be easy not having your own space anymore."

"So instead I'll be sharing a room with three other guys?"

"Uh, well…"

Takeru laughed before things became awkward. "I like it. Let's get together this weekend… that is, as long as it's all right with your family."

Daisuke smirked. "Don't worry, our parents are away this weekend and Jun still owes me, so it'll be easy. Plus, she likes you and Yamato for some weird reason."

"I think she likes my brother more than me."

"Great! I'll tell the guys."

"I'll let Miyako know our plans," said Hikari with a smile. "I think she feels a little left out going to a different school from us."

* * *

"A sleepover?"

Hikari nodded absently as she put aside the clothes she was planning to wear on the weekend. No reason to do an unnecessary wash. Taichi was leaning against the wall and Tailmon was curled up on top of the cupboard, watching over them with only partial interest.

"Daisuke thought it would be a good idea for Takeru and Yamato to have a night away from each other. Yamato's used to being alone, so it must be difficult having people around constantly."

Taichi frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. At his troubled look, Hikari stopped her sorting.

"Taichi?"

Taichi pushed himself from the wall and shoved his hands in his pockets. "I'm not sure leaving Yamato alone too much is a good idea right now."

Hikari hated seeing her brother like this. She had thought Daisuke's suggestion was good, but maybe they hadn't quite thought through the consequences.

"Maybe…"

"Mind if I use your room that night?" Taichi interrupted.

"Sure. Why?"

"Us older kids haven't met up in a while and Mimi's over from America. I figured she and Sora could stay in your room if you won't be there."

"Stealing our idea?" Hikari said with a sly smile.

"Taking inspiration from," Taichi responded in his defence before he practically ran out of the room.

"Don't forget to ask Mom!" Hikari shouted after him.

* * *

Rain thrashed against the glass windows and ran down the panes. Sora sat away from the noise with a book in one hand and lunch laid out on her desk. For once, she was actually enjoying the required reading and wanted to do well in the assigned homework for it.

While most of the students had congregated towards the front of the class, Sora heard a pair of feet break off from the rest and head towards her. The chair ahead was scraped up to her desk and Taichi plopped himself in front of her. Sora continued her attempt at reading. Taichi let out a long sigh. Sora rolled her eyes and closed her book.

"What is it Taichi?"

Taichi merely pouted at her and released another dramatic sigh. Sora raised her eyebrows at him, clearly unamused.

"I _was_ going to invite everyone over for the weekend, but Mom's having friends over."

"When you say everyone," she prompted.

"I _mean_ us older kids: you, me, Yamato, Jou, Koushiro and Mimi. The other kids are having a get-together at Daisuke's house. I thought we should do the same."

"And here I thought you meant the whole school."

"Ha ha, very funny."

Sora turned her head towards the window, deep in thought. "I don't think my mother would be very happy with so many boys in the apartment overnight."

" _Boys?_ Or do you mean Yamato?"

Sora cleared her throat as if that would stop the blush rising to her cheeks. She glanced at Taichi out of the corner of her eye to see a smug smirk spread across his face.

"Anyway… the point is that we can't stay at my place."

Taichi sighed again.

"Koushiro's apartment probably isn't big enough, even though his parents are amazing. Jou's got his brothers who could be home at any time."

Sora felt her stomach twist uncomfortably. "What about Yamato's?"

"I was trying to take his mind off of his father, so putting him back into his old apartment doesn't seem like the best of ideas."

"I mean, how about we ask Ms Takaishi is she would let us stay? It might make the apartment feel more like home to Yamato if he's acting as a host rather than a guest."

Taichi jumped up with a huge grin on his face. "Sora, have I ever told you how amazing you are?"

"Maybe, but I wouldn't complain if you said it more," she replied with a smirk.

"Thanks for the help! I'll go ask Yamato."

* * *

"Not that I'm unhappy to see you Motomia, but where are the others?"

Daisuke shrugged. "Hikari said she was picking up Miyako from middle school, so I figure I'd meet you at the station."

Minomon unzipped Ken's bag and jumped at Chibimon. The two fell in a giggling heap as their partners looked on.

"Careful you two, there are people around!"

The digimon stopped their laughter and looked up at the humans just as Daisuke picked up Chibimon. Ken quickly followed his actions.

"Honestly, we can't take you anywhere!"

They walked from the station towards Daisuke's house, with Daisuke catching Ken up on all the events he had missed in the last few days since they'd seen each other. Ken just listened, amused, enjoying Daisuke's enthusiastic storytelling.

"How's Takeru doing?"

Daisuke shrugged as if he wasn't bothered, but Ken knew his friend better than that.

"I think he's still getting used to Yamato living with them. It must suck having to share a room after having your own for so long."

"Better too many in a room than an empty one."

Daisuke glanced at Ken with a raised eyebrow, silently asking if he was OK. Ken smiled back to indicate he was fine.

It wasn't far to walk to Daisuke's apartment, but they had decided to meet the others at the nearby park rather than go straight to his home. Jun was fine with the digimon, but he just didn't want her snooping around.

When they arrived at the park, it was obvious that no one else had appeared yet. The lights lit up the pathway as the sun continued to set below the horizon, slowly sending Tokyo into darkness. The waves from the harbour lapped onto the shore in a soothing rhythm.

"Where are they?"

"We're still a few minutes early. I'm sure everyone will be here shortly."

Both boys looked down each path for any sign of the others. Chibimon, sitting in Daisuke's arms, finally broke the silence.

"I'm hungry."

Daisuke sighed. "We'll get something for you when we get back to the apartment."

"It's likely Miyako will bring some snacks from her family's shop," Ken said to Minomon, whose stomach growled.

"I hope so," he replied quietly.

Daisuke started to speak again, but Ken saw something move out of the corner of his eye. He looked up sharply, catching Daisuke's attention. Their partners jumped from their arms.

"Daisuke," Chibimon said in a voice that meant something serious was about to happen.

The digimon stood in front of their partners, on guard, as a woman stepped onto the path. She had jet black hair pulled back with various ornaments sticking out. The clothes she wore covered most of her body, flowing down to her feet. She smiled at the boys sweetly and the digimon tensed.

"She's a digimon?"

Ken's eyes narrowed. "Her right hand," he said, pointing. "I'm fairly sure that's not human."

A claw covered in gold could be seen trailing from her right arm. As the digimon stepped forward, Daisuke and Ken pulled out their digivices.

"Chibimon evolve to…"

"Minomon evolve to…"

"Paildramon!"

Paildramon charged towards the mysterious digimon, weapons drawn. Daisuke gave a shout of encouragement, but Ken stayed silent. He didn't miss the way the digimon licked her lips as Paildramon flew at her.

"Desperado Blaster!"

The digimon almost seemed amused as Paildramon attacked her. She casually brought up her right hand just in time to deflect the attack. Her smile widened.

"I think she's Ultimate level," Ken said in a low voice so that only Daisuke could hear him.

"Yeah, there's no other way she could stop Paildramon's attack that easily. Guess we should stop holding back."

"Paildramon!" they shouted together.

Momentarily distracted by their voices, Paildramon hadn't noticed the digimon flying towards him with her claws stretched out until it was too late. He barely dodged the main attack in time, but she managed to badly damage one of his arms.

"You look tastier than I first thought," she said with a laugh. "I'm going to enjoy devouring you."

Paildramon flew over the water before evolving. The digimon followed him at first, but stopped on the shore-line when she realised what he was doing.

Paildramon was enveloped in a massive beam of light and before long, Imperialdramon Fighter Mode stood before her. Before the digimon could move, Imperialdramon lashed out, sending her flying into a group of trees. Not wanting to damage any property, Imperialdramon stayed hovering above the water, his cannon pointed in the direction she had fallen.

Suddenly, she shot out from the trees, but instead of heading towards Imperialdramon, she hovered above the park with a smile on her face. Ken watched her, suspicious of her intentions. As Imperialdramon charged his cannon, Ken followed the projected path of destruction.

"Imperialdramon stop; it's a trap!"

Daisuke followed Ken's line of sight and noticed the apartment buildings directly behind the digimon. Imperialdramon withdrew his attack the moment he realised, however that had obviously been her plan. Before he could react, the digimon had disappeared and reappeared behind him to attack with her golden claws. Imperialdramon fell forward, his knees hitting the edge of the park.

"Imperialdramon!" Daisuke and Ken shouted in unison.

Imperialdramon began to glow a strange dark colour as the enemy digimon held onto him. He seemed to be weakening, unable to even get away from her small grip. She smiled down as the boys watched on helplessly.

"Harmonious Spirit!"

"Top Gun!"

The two attacks hit simultaneously, catching Daisuke and Ken off guard almost as much as the digimon was. She staggered back, landing on the path so that Daisuke and Ken were between her and Imperialdramon. Before she could recover, Shakkoumon and Silphymon landed in front of the boys.

"Daisuke, Ken, are you two all right?"

Ken smiled back in relief as Miyako came running towards them, the others closely following behind her. Imperialdramon seemed to be shaking off the effects of whatever was done to him and slowly stood so that he could back up the two perfect level digimon.

The six Chosen stared at the mysterious digimon, the smile never leaving her lips as she watched them. Neither seemed interested in making the first move. Finally, she took a step backwards.

"That filled me up quite nicely. Until we meet again, Chosen Children."

From seemingly nowhere, a multitude of bats flew at the children and their digimon. By the time they'd cleared away the creatures, the female-looking digimon had disappeared.

Imperialdramon devolved first, followed quickly by Shakkoumon and Silphymon. The children picked up their now-helpless partners and quickly ran away without a word to each other.

* * *

Yamato stirred everything in the pan one last time before taking it off the stove. Sora was right ahead of him, handing out plates to the others before clearing a spot for the food and seating herself next to Mimi. Sora looked over to Taichi, who sat in the opposite corner, mouth watering as the last of the food was placed on the table.

"Ms Takaishi, the food's ready!"

"Taichi," Sora admonished, embarrassed he would shout loud enough to be heard through the entire apartment rather than get up to find her.

Ms Takaishi popped her head out from her office, looking a little dishevelled. She had been working while the teens caught up on recent events.

"I'll be out in a moment."

Sora glanced at Yamato as he sat down, keeping careful eye on his expression. However, she soon stopped fretting as she watched him joke with the others, the smile even reaching his eyes. He rested his hand on the table, patiently waiting at one end for Ms Takaishi to join them. Sora subtly reached over and squeezed his hand while keeping her head turned towards the others. She felt her heart lift when his hand moved and he returned the gesture.

Ms Takaishi stepped out of her office and sat down with them. Taichi handed her a plate he'd served up, which she gratefully accepted.

"Ms Takaishi, try one of my pastries," Mimi said, offering the basket containing them with enthusiasm.

Sora sucked in a breath and watched as Ms Takaishi accepted one of the pastries with a smile. She brought it up to her lips and took a small bite. Sora found herself leaning forward along with the rest of the Chosen Children – apart from Mimi.

"I always love homemade pastry," she said with a smile as the others continued to gawk. "It's a very unique blend of flavours."

"Really?" Mimi asked excitedly, clearly happy with Ms Takaishi's comments.

Sora sat back and glanced at Yamato, who looked pale as he stared at his mother. Sora elbowed him gently. He blushed and returned to his food.

"Thank you for having us, Ms Takaishi," Jou said in an attempt to draw the conversation away from Mimi's cooking.

"Not at all," she said. "Besides, Yamato's done all the work."

"The food really is delicious," said Koushiro.

"Ms Takaishi, did Takeru ever tell you how Yamato's cooking skills kept us alive?"

"You don't need to be so dramatic, Taichi. Just because you almost burnt off your fingers along with the fish."

"Remember when we found that refrigerator full of eggs?"

"How we didn't die of food poisoning is beyond me."

"Hey, you were the one who encouraged us to eat Devimon's illusionary food, _Jou_."

"How was I supposed to know it was a trap?"

"It was an abandoned mansion in the middle of a forest when we're all tired and hungry, with eight soft beds and copious amounts of food."

"Says the one who walked through an electrified fence without even bothering to check it was safe."

"That was a low blow, Sora."

The Chosen Children shared stories of the Digital World with Ms Takaishi, while food remained a major theme through it all. Ms Takaishi went to pick up the rest of Mimi's pastry to eat when, suddenly, the lights flickered and died.

"What happened?"

"I have a light in my bag if someone sees it."

Sora saw the dull light of a mobile phone screen and looked beyond it to see Taichi walking carefully towards Jou's bag. Jou accepted his bag with a 'thanks' before putting it on the table and rummaging inside.

"Yamato, there are candles in the bottom cupboard that's two in from the left," Ms Takaishi advised.

Jou switched the torch on and pointed it towards the cupboards so that Yamato could follow the path. He opened one of the cupboard doors and pulled out three candles.

"Where're the lighters?"

"We've got matches in the drawer above."

Sora doubted anyone else noticed, but she saw Yamato tense a little before opening the correct drawer. His father would have had a lighter on his person.

Yamato put the candles on the table and lit them carefully. The flames looked warm and inviting compared to the harsher light of Jou's torch.

"Dinner by candlelight? How romantic."

Sora rolled her eyes at Taichi's comment and walked towards the door. She opened it, checking the nearby apartments.

"The other apartment blocks seem to have lost power as well," she reported before shutting the door and rejoining the others.

"What's going on?" Mimi whispered, all humour gone from her voice.

Before anyone could reply, the lights began to flicker and slowly everything blinked back on again. The apartment block across from them also regained its power. Everyone looked around as if the source of the blackout would suddenly make itself known. Then their eyes settled on Koushiro.

Koushiro, realising he was now the centre of attention, released a sigh and brought out his laptop.

"I'm not quite sure what you want me to do. The blackout could well have been man-made."

All five of the Chosen Children crowded around Koushiro and his laptop. Sora frowned at the map he had in front of him with a large black spot over their location.

"What is that?"

"It shows the extent of the power outage."

Suddenly, the doorbell rang, making everyone jump. Ms Takaishi wandered over to the door and slowly opened it while the Chosen Children watched, ready to try and fight if necessary.

"Takeru!"

The six younger Chosen rushed in, carrying their exhausted partners. Chicomon and Leafmon looked the worst of the six.

"What happened?" Mimi asked with concern.

"A digimon attacked us."

"It was strong enough to defeat Imperialdramon," Ken added.

Miyako walked over and immediately handed over her D3, with Purumon balanced under her other arm. Koushiro gently took it and plugged it into his laptop with a spare extension cable. A female-looking digimon appeared on the screen.

"Lilithmon – she's one of the seven Demon Lords."

"Demon Lords?"

Koushiro ignored the question as he typed on his computer. The rest of the Chosen Children waited patiently for him to say something.

"You might recognise one of their other members."

"Daemon," Ken said as the picture of their old enemy appeared on screen.

"What's the problem?" Daisuke asked. "We stopped Daemon, so we can stop her too."

"But we _weren't_ strong enough," Hikari reminded them, her voice soft as she hugged Plotmon a little closer to her chest. "If Ken hadn't sent him to the Dark Ocean…"

Yamato and Sora both caught Taichi's eye. The younger Chosen were exhausted and scared. Now was not the time to draw up battle plans.

"We can talk about this tomorrow morning. For now, everyone should get some rest."

Too tired to protest, the younger Chosen allowed Taichi to escort them to Daisuke's apartment. The rest of the older kids helped Ms Takaishi clear up the table and lay out the bedding. When Jun opened the door, she had looked between them all in concern. However, Taichi didn't have the strength of will to deal with her. Jun seemed to recognise this, though, and ushered the half-asleep kids into the relative safety of the apartment.

By the time Taichi had returned, everyone remaining had gathered around a map of Odaiba with various coloured dots over it. Koushiro was pointing to various locations and Mimi was adding new markers. Sora noticed Taichi's re-entrance first.

"Koushiro thinks the blackout earlier was due to the battle between Lilithmon and Imperialdramon."

Taichi acknowledged her comment and moved in to hover over the map. Jou took a step away from the group, his arms folded so his chin was lightly resting on one of his fists.

"If she was behind all these attacks, how has she survived in this world so long? Did she figure a way to get through BlackWarGreymon's seal?"

Koushiro shook his head. "I've been looking closely for cracks. It's highly unlikely she has found a way through even if the seal has been weakening."

"Why do you think she is specifically targeting people?" asked Sora.

"She isn't the first digimon to do so."

Every one of the Chosen Children turned their focus to Natsuko, who was a little taken aback by the sudden attention.

"The digimon that attacked nearly four years ago – Vamdemon, wasn't it? He attacked young women and drained their blood like the old vampire legends."

"What?" Taichi asked in disbelief.

Natsuko looked around the group and realised none of them had been aware of this. She took a deep breath in order to compose her thoughts.

"We–" Natsuko accidentally caught Yamato's eye, but quickly looked away again. "I put the pieces together after you kids saved the World. After everything that you had been through, it didn't seem important."

Mimi hugged herself. "Why did Vamdemon attack people?"

"Tailmon might know," Sora suggested.

"But even if she does, Vamdemon's reasons then and Lilithmon's now might be completely different," Koushiro rationalised. He glanced over at Taichi. "It couldn't hurt asking, though."

Taichi agreed, but soon found himself trying to suppress a yawn.

"Why don't we revisit this in the morning?" Sora suggested, ever the pragmatist. "Everything may make more sense once we've had a good night's sleep."

"I think I'd settle with just being able to sleep tonight," Jou said.

"Right, let's continue tomorrow."

Sora looked about with a frown on her face. "We should clean up a little first."

All eyes turned to Yamato who glanced around the mess and shrugged. He made eye contact with Natsuko in silent question.

"Never mind the mess," she reassured. "We can clean up tomorrow."

* * *

Natsuko cracked the door to her office open very slightly, just enough to see the sleeping boys. Taichi was sprawled across the floor, his limbs in all directions, forcing Yamato and Jou to the far sides of the room in order to avoid him. Koushiro had been the most sensible, finding a spot north of Taichi's head to sleep so he wouldn't have to be disturbed by wandering appendages. She chuckled a little at the image, closing the door again silently.

The girls were also fast asleep: Mimi had taken Takeru's bed, while Sora had said she was happy on the floor. Natsuko closed their door as well before walking back into the dining area.

The map of Odaiba was spread across the table with little points corresponding to victims and power surges. Natsuko ran her fingers over the dots, her hand finally resting when she found Hiroaki's. Suddenly, she frowned. Why was there no corresponding surge marked?

Her attention focused on Koushiro's laptop. Perhaps he had forgotten to say the location. There were a large number of points to plot in the last few week and not all of them corresponding to victims. Natsuko looked back at the map and a new idea started to form.

* * *

Lilithmon felt like her body was on fire. The energy she had stolen from that digimon was coursing through her and she felt as if she could do anything. Lilithmon grinned to herself… except it wasn't enough.

Lilithmon examined her golden claws, remembering the power of that Ultimate digimon. If she had not been able to shield herself from attack, he likely would have been strong enough to kill her. Her eyes narrowed at the thought. She would not bring shame to the Demon Lords' name.

If she wished to defeat the Chosen Children and their digimon, Lilithmon knew she would need to become stronger. It wouldn't be particularly difficult – this city was teeming with humans who offered little to no resistance when faced with her.

As if on cue, Lilithmon heard the voices of a couple on the other side of the bushes. Keeping to the shadows, she spied a man and woman, walking arm and arm together, talking quietly and giggling like new lovers. They were both young and brimming with energy.

She stepped out of the shadows and, sensing her presence, the couple turned to face her. Lilithmon kept her smile serene as she moved forward. The couple were so mesmerised, that they offered no struggle until she began draining their energy. By then, it was too late to run.

* * *

Sora was always someone who was up with the sun. She was quick to tidy up from last night while she waited for the others to emerge from their rooms. Once the dishes were put away to dry, Sora walked over to the table and took a closer look at their work from last night.

Coloured dots were stuck all over Odaiba, although Sora could see a pattern that had been difficult to distinguish last night. She glanced at a notebook with a short list of names on it. The one at the top was Mr Ishida's. Sora looked back at the map with a frown. Suddenly, the door to the office opened.

"Morning!"

Sora laughed. "Good morning, Taichi."

"Both of you are way too cheerful for this time of day," Yamato commented with a yawn.

"Just because you want to be all moody doesn't mean the rest of us have to sink to your level."

Yamato narrowed his eyes at Taichi. "I'm not moody."

"Morning everyone!" Mimi shouted, practically skipping out of her shared room with Sora. She then noticed Yamato's dour expression. "You don't look so good. Did Taichi keep you up all night?"

"We slept fine!"

" _Taichi_ slept fine," Jou interjected, his head popping out from the office. "The rest of us suffered in silence."

"You guys seemed to be sleeping fine when _I_ woke up."

"That's because you'd woken up."

Taichi glared at Yamato's deadpan tone. "Koushiro seems to have slept well."

At the sound of his name, Koushiro stepped out from behind Jou looking a little sleepy but otherwise well rested. He looked between his friends, obviously lost.

"Did something happen?"

Mimi rested a hand on her hip, a cheerful smile on her face. "Well, if the boys are too tired, I can make breakfast."

Sora crossed her arms over her chest and tried not to smirk at the look of horror shared between the boys. Yamato coughed politely.

"As the host, it would be rude of me to expect my guests to cook."

Taichi stood beside him, nodding sagely. Sora could almost believe the boys were offering to make breakfast out of the kindness of their own hearts – almost. At first, Mimi seemed a little perturbed that Yamato still wanted to make breakfast, but her disappointment quickly dispelled.

Sora caught Yamato's eye as he passed her on the way into the kitchen area and raised an eyebrow. He silently communicated his relief that Mimi had accepted his excuse. Sora tried not to laugh.

With one crisis averted, Koushiro moved to the table where their work had been left overnight. He noted an extra notebook with a list of names that he had not put together.

"Is Ms Takaishi awake?"

"I think she's still sleeping," Sora replied. She directed her next question to Yamato. "Did you want to check on her?"

"If she's not awake by the time I finish breakfast, I'll take a look."

Jou walked over to join Koushiro. "Should we invite Daisuke and the others over?"

Taichi stood at the end of the table, scanning the map in front of them.

"Probably a good idea. Yamato, do you have enough food for everyone?"

"Maybe. Depends on how the hungry the digimon are from last night."

"I hope they're all right," Mimi said, clasping her hands together in front of her chest. "Chicomon and Leafmon didn't look well."

"I'll email them," Koushiro said, the D-Terminal already in his hands.

Koushiro received a quick reply and soon there were six more children and their digimon in the small apartment. Unable to squeeze into the office, the Chosen used the main living area as their meeting room.

The Chosen Children's attention focused on Chicomon and Leafmon, who still seemed to be weak from the battle. While Tailmon, Patamon, Upamon and Poromon had all evolved after food and a good night's rest, the other two had remained in their Baby forms.

"Is there anything we can do?" Jou asked, standing over Koushiro as he typed at his laptop.

"It may help to bring them to the Digital World for a little while to recover. I've emailed Gennai, but he hasn't responded yet."

"Why didn't she kill us?"

All eyes fell on Miyako, who was hugging Poromon close to her chest. Mimi felt a sense of déjà vu at the way Miyako held herself. She remembered that helplessness feeling from before.

"There's no point tying yourself in knots trying to figure it out," Sora said, placing a comforting hand on Miyako's shoulder. "Just be glad that she allowed you to live and make sure she pays for her mistake."

"What do you think she wants?"

Ken clutched Leafmon close to him, not meeting anyone's eyes.

"I've had an email from Gennai."

Everyone's attention turned to Koushiro, who sat reading through the message.

"He says that Qinglongmon might be able to answer some of our questions." He turned his laptop around to show the group. "He's provided a map for us to follow."

"Maybe he can help Chicomon and Leafmon," Sora suggested.

Taichi stood up. "Right. Daisuke, Ken, Yamato and I will head to the Digital World. The rest of you should relax a bit. We don't know when she'll attack again."

* * *

Mountains, like spires, pierced the clouds around them. Daisuke and Ken gripped their partners tighter as Taichi and Yamato looked on in awe.

"Taichi!"

Taichi turned to glance behind him, a grin quickly spreading across his face. "Agumon!"

Agumon and Gabumon ran towards the two older boys. Agumon jumped up into Taichi's arms and Yamato bent down to envelope his partner in a hug. However, he clung to Gabumon's fur a little too long and when Yamato pulled away, Gabumon was watching his face with concern.

Daisuke shielded his eyes from the sun. "So how do we find Qinglongmon?"

"Gennai seemed to suggest we'll run into him if we keep walking," Yamato said, his attention shifting to Taichi.

Their leader gave a nod. "Right." He looked towards Agumon. "Don't suppose you two have a better idea?"

Both Agumon and Gabumon shrugged. The boys sighed and gazed towards the misty horizon.

"Guess we better get walking," Daisuke said morosely.

They continued walking forwards, the digital mist thickening as they went. Ken tensed when he saw a figure moving quickly out of the corner of his eye. However, when he turned to look, there was no one to be seen. He rushed to catch up with the others.

The tall mountain spires still surrounded them and the path was becoming increasingly difficult to follow. The four boys and their digimon stopped when they heard a great roar. Unable to distinguish whether it was friend or foe, Taichi and Yamato pulled out their digivices.

Suddenly, from the clouds above them, a light in the form of a serpent descended. It dove through the clouds and Taichi gripped his digivice tighter. However, he was stopped from acting further by Daisuke and Ken.

"Qinglongmon."

The Great Dragon of the East circled over them and coiled himself around one of the nearby spires, his claws easily digging into the rocky surface. He gazed down at the Chosen and gradually the mists cleared before he finally spoke.

"Chosen Children, why have you sought my presence?"

Daisuke was the first to step forward, unafraid. Ken followed him, although looked much more nervous. Both clung to their partners tightly.

"A digimon attacked us and did something to Chicomon and Leafmon," Daisuke held Chicomon up so Qinglongmon might be able to see him better.

"Her name is Lilithmon."

A low rumble erupted from Qinglongmon's throat. He bent his head so that it was almost touching Daisuke. Taichi and Yamato tensed once more.

"You have encountered another of the Demon Lords?"

"Who are they?" Ken asked. "Daemon wanted the dark seed inside me."

Qinglongmon nodded his great head. "The Seven Great Demon Lords are a group of evil digimon that once tried to rule the Digital World. They were defeated and scattered across worlds, which served as their prisons. It is only recently that some have managed to take advantage of the chaos created by the Dark Masters and Vamdemon in order to slip into your world. From there, they have tried to re-enter the Digital World.

"The Holy Powers have held them back once; however, with our strength still greatly weakened, we must rely on you Chosen Children to turn back the darkness." With his claws, Qinglongmon grabbed one of his digicores and held it out to the Chosen Children. "I do not have enough power for all of you, but I can restore what Lilithmon took and," he nodded his great head towards the older boys. "I can give one of your partners the ability to once again evolve to Ultimate."

Taichi shoved his hands in his pockets and took a step back, completely surprising Yamato and the others.

"Gabumon should take it."

"Taichi," Yamato's voice was low, his tone sounding like a warning.

"Wargreymon has fought recently…"

"Which is why he should get Qinglongmon's power," Yamato interrupted. "We can't afford to make a mistake, Taichi!"

The boys stood stubbornly across from each other, readying for a fight when Qinglongmon cleared his throat. Both blushed, embarrassed with the way they had acted in front of one of the Holy Beasts and turned their attention back to him.

"We do not have much time."

Yamato glanced at Taichi and, noting his friend's stubborn expression, let out a long, exasperated sigh.

 _"Fine."_

He stepped forward to join Daisuke and Ken. The three held out their digivices as Qinglongmon brought the digicore close enough for them to touch. A blinding light enveloped them all. When the boys finally cleared the spots from their eyes, Vmon and Wormon were standing in front of them.

Daisuke gave a whoop of delight and spun his partner around until Vmon complained he was about to be sick. Ken's reaction was much more subdued, but no less joyous. Yamato and Gabumon acknowledged each other silently while Taichi and Agumon looked on.

"You must prevent the Demon Lords from returning to the Digital World by any means necessary. The damage they can do alone is horrific, but together they may have the power to enslave both our worlds."

Qinglongmon detached himself from the rock pillar and took off into the sky, quickly disappearing into the clouds. When they could no longer see him, the boys and their partners gradually made their way back to the Human World.

* * *

 **This is the final part I'll be posting as part of the Digimon Bang. After that I'll be posting smaller chapters at a slower rate. However, I almost have the next part finished, so it's unlikely you'll have to wait too long for the next instalment.**


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